Pokemon: Dark Emerald
by Neil Hammond
Summary: Team Magma and Team Aqua have been defeated by the young trainers Brendan and May but 20 years later, Hoenn is still in a state of discord. Meanwhile May whom has replaced her father as Hoenn's pokemon professor and now must struggle to make sure her two students Blade and Victor don't fall into the clutches of another professor whom has different plans for the two young trainers.
1. The Orphan

**14 years after the Great Pokémon War, The Pokémon Deoxys descended to the planet and attacked La Rousse city. After a long grueling battle with the equally powerful Pokémon Rayquaaza, the city was reduced to ashes.**

 **After the battle, Deoxys disappeared but the battle was only the catalyst for a new terror. For the remnants of Team Magma and Team Aqua have merged to form the evil Team Gravity, a group of radicals that worship Deoxys and his destruction.**

 **Striking from the shadows, these fanatics have waged a campaign of devastation across the Hoenn region.**

 **Over a decade has passed since Team Gravity's founding and the pieces are now set for the organization's final plan.**

 **POKEMON: Dark Emerald is a novel written by Neil Hammond and co-written by Eddie Brown.**

 **Chapter 1: The Orphan**

Victor jolted awake, gasping for breath, his alarm clock radio having begun to play music. He saw cities swept away by tidal waves and others buried under the lava of volcanic eruptions while hearing a bellowing roar. He sighed in relief with the knowledge that it was only a dream. He laid back for a few minutes listening to the music that played on his preferred station.

When the music ended and the commercials began, Victor stretched his legs out over the bedside. As soon as his bare feet touched the floor, he cringed and retracted them. The floor was as cold as a glalie's icy membrane. Staying at the Pokémon lab would not be easy for him.

His home was being fumigated for parasitic crustaceans so he decided to stay there for the time being. A decision he was beginning to regret. He felt a little upset since he heard that the Pokémon lab in Orre had state of the art heating systems and better insulation.

Victor dressed and looked in the mirror. He wore a long sleeved yellow t-shirt under a navy blue vest with a yellow stripe across the chest. In addition he wore navy blue pants with yellow stripes on the sides to match his wool vest. Victor slipped on his Velcro shoes and tucked his blue headband underneath his blonde hair.

He grabbed his bag and threw his pajamas in the hamper. Victor then slid down the railing and landed on his feet, making a victorious gesture as if a gymnast just scored a landing. His grin faded to a short neutral expression when he saw Professor Evergreen looking at him. Victor blushed until his face looked like a Peecha Berry. Not only was he embarrassed that he did something foolish in front of his mentor but he also had a bit of a lilipup crush on her since he was eight.

"Oh I was just…dusting the banister…with my pants," Victor stuttered shyly as he brushed his posterior of dust. Professor Evergreen giggled and walked away. Victor sighed in relief and started towards the kitchen. He took 2 oran berry toaster pastries and put them in a klink shaped toaster. While waiting for his breakfast to cook, he opened a hardcover copy of Doctor Brock's Pokémon Breeder's Guide, Volume 4. 2 minutes later, the toaster chimed as the two pastries sprung up. Victor's metang flew into the kitchen like a golbat out of hell. It reached for the treats as Victor held it back with its arm laughing at how excited his friend was. "Hold on! Hold on! We'll share!" he giggled, reaching for one and handed it to his loyal companion. Metang grasped the brittle tart and squinted his eyes with gratitude and glee.

Victor received his metang at a young age when it was just a beldum. Training it to be a metang was very hard for him. The only move it knew for a while was Take Down. The recoil damage was so intense that Victor had to spend the majority of his allowances on potions just to keep Beldum healthy. Victor scarfed his pastry down with a vengeance while Metang absorbed its pastry into its body.

After Breakfast, Victor and Metang jogged down route 101 for fifteen minutes when they ran into a boy named Blade. Blade was Victor's Best friend. He however never knew Blade's real name. He just went by Blade.

Blade was a few inches shorter than Victor. He wore a red hoodie and purple wool pants. He always kept his hood up, creating a shadow that obscured his eyes. Blade always had his hands in his hoodie pockets.

As usual, he was with his Kirlia. For a while Kirlia was his only friend until Victor moved to Littleroot. Victor and Blade had very little in common, yet they had a solid friendship. Blade did not talk as much as Victor. That made him a good person for Victor to talk to.

"Hey. What's up, man?" said Blade with a laid back attitude. "We get our starters tomorrow."

"That's tomorrow?" exclaimed a surprised Victor.

"Yeah, Vic," Blade explained further. "Have you thought of what you're choosing?"

"I-I haven't really thought of it much. I didn't realize that was around the corner," Victor stuttered. A bellowing roar interrupted their conversation. Blade and Victor ran toward the bellowing roar. They stopped to find the horrific sight of a pack of swellow pecking at a bleeding kangaskahn.

"Kirlia, use Teeter Dance!" commanded Blade. Kirlia spun like a dancer with her left foot out. The swellow ignored Kirlia and continued to peck bits of flesh off the dying kangaskahn. Blade sneered at the cluster. "Kirlia, use Confusion!"

"Metang, you use Confusion as well!" Victor called out to his metang. The two pokémon's eyes glowed a bright blue. The swellow were surrounded in auras of the same color. They were flung 20 meters diagonally into the air. The swellow flew away as Blade and Victor ran over to the bleeding husk.

"What are you doing?" cried Blade. "Stop the bleeding!"

"It won't do any good," said Victor. "She's dead." Victor closed the pokémon's eyelids Swellow aren't predators, they're harvesters. They needed meat and knew she was done for. See?" Victor pointed to Kangaskahn, which was beading with sweat. "She was feverish, meaning she must have had some kind of infection." Victor wiped tears from his eyes as a cry was heard. The two ran around the decaying pokémon to see her child weeping for his dead mother. Victor opened his pokédex.

"Kangaskahn. The Parent Pokemon," chimed the handheld device in a cheerful high-pitched female voice. "If you may come across a Young Kangaskhan playing by itself, never try to catch it. The baby's parent is sure to be in the area, and it will become violently enraged."

"I don't think we need to worry about that," said Blade. The baby pokémon turned, revealing he had a cut across his side. Blade gasped. He walked towards him as he reached into his bag for a potion. The little monster scurried back several meters.

"Blade, you can't be so sudden," Victor scolded. He swiped the plastic aerosol from Blade's hand. "Gimme that." Victor crouched down to meet the infantile creature's eye level. "Hey, little fella. You sure got yourself a bit of an ouchie there." Victor slowly approached the baby pokémon. The baby took one hesitant step back and then several cautious steps forward. Victor sprayed the potion. The redness around the cut faded as the cut itself shrank to a hairline mark. The child looked down to his cut and then looked back to Victor. The infant teared up and leapt into Victor's arms. He bellowed in agony as Victor cradled him.

"He seems to take a liking to you," said Blade in a more upbeat tone. Victor stood up.

"I'm going to take him back to the pokémon lab," said Victor. "Go on ahead without me." Victor turned around and started to walk back down the dirt road from where he and Blade came.

"No way," said Blade. "I can't jog on my own like some loser. Plus baby pokémon are very easy game for predators and everybody in Littleroot knows that I am the better battler so you'll need some protection."

"Thanks Blade," Victor said smiling as they started down the road together.

"Plus I need an excuse to get out of an awkward conversation in case I run into some weirdo," Blade remarked.

Back at the pokémon lab, the baby kangaskahn sucked away at an artificial nipple. Professor Evergreen wrote down notes on a chart while Blade and Victor sat quietly.

"You did the right thing bringing him to me," congratulated the Professor. "This could be a very important find." "This proves that Kangaskahn have migrated to Hoenn."

"Why is that important?" asked Blade.

"Kangaskahn have been endangered for a long time." Said Professor Evergreen. For a while they stayed isolated to a single region of the Union. This could mean their population is increasing again. Tomorrow I'll dispatch a team to harvest the corpse. In the mean time I wanna run a few tests on the infant." The baby kangaskahn dropped down and waddled across the room. Victor crouched down and picked him up.

"Don't you think he's been through enough?" questioned Victor.

"Perhaps, you're right," replied Professor Evergreen. "This could be a ground breaking find though. Let me sleep on it. Can you take care of him?" asked the Professor.

"Totally!" replied Victor. "I mean yes, Professor Evergreen," Victor corrected himself in a less enthusiastic tone of voice.

"I'm trusting you now," Professor Evergreen said playfully.

Later that night, Victor set up a bed for his new friend. The baby kangaskahn was tired. Victor knew this and set him down. He then took out a book.

"An Abridged History of the World of Pokémon, by Professor Oak," recited Victor. "My dear dad used to read this to me when I was little," he said opening the book. "And now I shall read it to you." Victor cleared his throat.

 **Chapter 1**

 **Colonization.**

 **Eons ago, on a distant planet called Earth, a team of scientists and philosophers predicted that a war between two empires was inevitable. In a desperate attempt to escape it, pooling their wisdom, they designed a space vessel that could fly so fast that it could outrun light itself.**

 **They gathered Earth's greatest leaders, scientists, teachers and builders and built the ship in geocentric orbit of the planet. The engines alone were the size of skyscrapers. Shortly after, war broke out. Hydrogen bombs fell on most of the world's major cities. Space ships from both sides swooped in formation and opened fire on each other with the light speed ship in the crossfire.**

 **The ship zoomed away from the chaos. As it approached the speed of light, time slowed down. By the time a habitable world was reached, thousands of years had passed on Earth.**

 **Breaking ground, they dubbed the planet Machida and they used the parts of the ship to build their city. Upon exploring the wilderness, several scientists encountered a massive creature known today as Rhydon. It had a great drill horn and a hide so strong that the scientists' ray guns were merely irritating it.**

Victor stopped reading when he heard the baby kangaskahn snore.

"I don't think that I sounded _that_ boring," joked Victor to himself. He wrapped his arms around his stuffed Plusle and went to sleep. A few hours later, Victor woke up from another nightmare. Again, he forgot most of it. All he remembered was a burning city and a light pattern reminiscent of an aurora. Victor rubbed his eyes and turned to see the window open. He then looked down to see that Baby Kangaskahn was gone.


	2. First Fight

**Chapter 2: First Fight**

Victor dialed his pokénav while hopping down the stairs on one foot, putting his shoe on the other. Blade slept in his bed until his pokénav vibrated, rattling some marbles and a picture frame on his side table. He swatted at the yellow device in a half-hearted attempt to pick it up. Removing his blindfold, he grasped the pokénav and put the receiver to his mouth.

"What?" asked Blade rubbing his eye.

"BLADE, IT'S ME!" cried Victor through the receiver. Blade flinched and jerked his head to the side at Victor's cry.

"Who's me?" joked Blade, getting revenge at Victor for yelling in his ear.

"Dammit, Blade! You know who! This is serious!" snapped Victor.

"Enlighten me," said an irritated Blade, reaching for his lamp.

"Baby Kangaskahn's gotten away. I need your help getting him back or Professor Evergreen is going to kill me!" Blade got out of bed.

"I'll be right down." Blade put his stocking feet into a pair of slippers and ran for the door. "Just tell me where-" Blade opened the door to see Victor standing on the doormat with his pokénav to his ear. Both hung up at the same time. "Let's go." Victor ran down route 101 with Blade following closely behind. "Where are we going?" Blade called out.

"Back to Mama Kangaskahn's remains. I bet our little specimen would return there," Victor replied.

"So what do you need me for?" asked Blade. Victor stopped and turned to Blade.

"Backup," said Victor. "You said it yourself. You're the better battler." Blade smiled. The two continued down the road until they reached the carcass of Kangaskahn to find it now a skeleton and with Baby Kangaskahn next to it.

"The swellow must have come back," guessed Victor.

"Or a bunch of Mightyena were desperate," added Blade.

"I'm gonna go get the Baby back." Victor cried as he stepped forward.

"Wait." Blade put his arm across Victor, stopping him. "Watch." Baby Kangaskahn pull the skull off his deceased mother and lowered it onto his head. It glowed a bright white and grew a few inches. Victor pulled out his pokédex.

"Cubone, the lonely pokémon," chirped the pokédex in a high-pitched female voice. "Cubone pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull the pokémon wears are made by the tears it sheds."

"That's pretty depressing," remarked Blade.

"I think Kanto's entry might be more accurate," replied Victor. Victor approached Cubone. "Come on, Cubone let's go home. Cubone picked up two bones from the pile and leapt into the trees. "CUBONE!" Victor turned to blade. "He's going after the swellow. We have to stop him!" Victor grabbed the pokéball in his belt and clicked the button in the middle, expanding it from the size of a solfball to the size of a baseball. He then threw it up in the air. "Go, Metang!" The ball popped open as a bright white light exploded from the casing. The light took shape and materialized into Metang. The blue pokémon lowered itself to Victor's eye line. "Metang, please. Cubone's in trouble. We need to find him before he gets himself seriously hurt. Use Future Sight. Find Cubone." Metang put its claws near his eyes and closed them. Ripples of energy emitted from Metang's forehead. Metang chirped and opened its eyes and pointed down a perpendicular dirt road, chiming. Metang started down the road. Victor made a movement gesture as he turned to Blade. "Come on! Metang knows where Cubone is!" The two ran down the road.

"Hey Vic," called Blade. "What was with all that stuff back there?"

"What do you mean?" replied Victor.

"Well with all the pleases and would-yous. What are you going to do in a gym battle?" Blade explained. "Are you going to be all like," Blade started to talk in a funny voice, "Oh dear Metang. Would you be so kind as to use your Confusion attack? It would be most chivalric." They continued to run for another three minutes. Metang stopped at Cubone standing in the middle of the road with his bone clubs ready. The two friends looked up to see the swellow scramble from their nests.

"Cubone!" called Victor. Cubone turned to Victor and looked at him. "I understand," said Victor.

"What?" asked Blade, confused.

"There is nothing I can say that will make him change his mind about this," said Victor. "He needs retribution." Blade took out Kirlia's pokéball. "No. This is his battle" Victor pulled out Metang's pokéball and clicked the red and white hemispheres together, firing a red beam from the synthetic diamond lens in the center. The beam touched Metang in an aura of the same color. Metang turned red and de-materialized. The beam retracted back into the lens. The lens glowed red and then returned to its natural translucent white state. Victor pushed the round button in the center of the lens. The ball retracted back to one third its size. He put the ball back in his belt. "Cubone!" Victor commanded. "On my mark, use Dual Bone Club!" This was the first time Victor battled with a pokémon that wasn't Metang. He hoped he knew what he was doing. The first wave of swellow turned 90 degrees and dropped altitude. "Cubone, use Focus Energy!" Cubone complied without question. He closed his eyes. Rings of orange energy rippled up his body, down his arms and into his bone clubs. Cubone's eyes opened. Everything was orange in his vision. Time slowed down for him. Energy pulsated through the muscles in his body. He heard a deep voice slowly annunciate the word now. He didn't wait. Cubone leapt into the air and used his left and bone club to bash the front swellow's skull. The swellow drastically lost altitude and skidded into the dirt. It tried to get up but the pain of the blow was too unbearable. Cubone did a midair somersault and used his right hand bone club to smash the left swellow's temple, knocking it into the right swellow. Cubone then kicked the rear swellow sending it spiraling back before landing on his feet and right hand. The right swellow got up and shook its head. "Cubone, use Skull Bash!" Cubone jumped at the swellow and rammed the bird pokémon's underbelly, jabbing his new helmet's horns the wings met its torso. The swellow fell on its side with its wings folded in front of it. Cubone raised his left bone club in victory. More orange energy surged through the tiny monster. "He's learning a new move," declared a surprised Victor.

"Already?" Blade questioned, astonished by what was happening. Victor couldn't understand it either. Was it his hate for the swellow was doing this or was his will to survive just that strong? Victor pulled out his pokédex and gazed with awe at the screen when he saw Cubone's new move display. He then looked up to see eight more swellow bearing down on the three.

"Cubone, use Focus Energy again then Bonemerang!" cried Victor. Cubone heeded the words of his new partner. Once again, the orange rings pulsated up his body and into his clubs. Cubone threw them in a crisscross formation. They each spun in a horizontal arc, upward towards the flock. They struck down the swellow one by one as the pattern made an X. All eight swellow dropped as the bone clubs spun back. Cubone jumped in the air and caught his left-handed club. He then reached to his right, caught the right hand one and then made a twirl and slid a few feet back upon landing. "Alright Cubone!" cried Victor, jumping in the air with pride in his heart. Cubone turned to Victor and smiled. "Let's go home." Said Victor. The three walked down the dirt road as the sun rose.

The next morning at the pokémon lab, Professor Evergreen scanned Cubone with a bizarre-looking device.

"I'm very glad you got him backl," said the Professor. A rectangular white cartridge slid out of the lab's main computer. "But next time wake me up when something like this happens." Evergreen grabbed the cartridge from the computer's 3-D printer. "I need you to take this disk to the Devon Corporation headquarters in Rustboro city. You two think you can handle that?" Evergreen handed the cartridge to Victor.

"I refuse," said Blade crossing his arms.

"What?" She widened her eyes in shock and confusion. Victor sharply turned to Blade, himself surprised.

"I will not so much as retrieve mail for Devon, a company that made weapons for the Nationalist Army during the war," stated Blade in protest. If they could see Blade's eyes, they would see fire searing in the irises like two blazing furnaces. "A war that was the direct cause of my deceased grandfather's insanity and why the only time I ever saw him was in a veteran's mental ward. Half the time, he didn't even recognize me." Professor Evergreen felt ashamed that she was angry with Blade. She knelt down and put her hand on Blade's shoulder.

"I can only imagine how you feel about that," Professor Evergreen began in a soft calm voice. "I would be angry too, but try to understand. Devon has changed. After the war, they vowed to never make weapons again." Blade looked into his teacher's eyes. "And if you won't do it for them, do it for your friend," she finished, pointing to Victor with her head.

"Alright," said Blade through his teeth.

"Wonderful," said the Professor, smiling as she walked over to a giant metal cylindrical barrel with a dome on top of it. She pushed a white button in the center of the dome causing the dome to separate into three wedges and retract into the barrel. As the wedges retracted, a white mist was released followed closely by the ascension of a round platform with three pokéballs resting on top of it. The first pokéball looked like a conventional red pokéball but had a flame illustrated on the upper hemisphere. The second pokéball had a green hemisphere with a leaf imprinted on it. The third and final pokéball had a blue hemisphere with a water droplet on it. "Although you two recieved pokémon as gifts when you were younger, rules are rules," explained Professor Evergreen. "Why don't _you_ choose first Victor?" Victor approached the barrel and reached for each ball, hesitating at every reach.

"Don't reach out with your hand," said Blade. "Reach out with your heart." Victor reached for the red ball. He felt a strand of energy form starting at his heart and pulsating through his fingertips. Victor then reached for the green ball. The feeling began to weaken. He reached for the blue ball. The feeling grew even weaker. Victor reached for the red ball again and the feeling surged back into him. Victor then knew this was the one. He couldn't explain it. He saw himself a spiritual person but he never believed in _this_ sort of thing. It didn't matter to him. He scooped up the red ball and pushed the button in the center.

"I chose the fire type Torchic!" Victor declared. The ball opened as a surge of white energy fired out of the ball in an arc towards the ground. The energy materialized into Torchic. Victor, opened his pokédex and scanned his new friend.

"Torchic," chimed the Pokédex. "The chick pokémon. Torchic sticks with its trainer, following behind with unsteady steps. This pokémon breathes fire of over one-thousand, eight-hundred degrees Fahrenheit, including fireballs that leave the foe scorched black." Blade walked over to the barrel and took up the blue ball without hesitation.

"I chose the water type, Mudkip," Blade said pushing the button in the middle. The same thing happened as before but this time, the energy materialized into a mudkip. Blade opened his pokédex.

"Mudkip, the mud fish pokémon," began the pokédex again. "The fin on Mudkip's head acts as a highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, this pokémon can determine what is taking place around it without its eyes."

"Excellent," said Blade. "Let's test out our new starters." Victor turned to Blade with a weird look on his face.

"Now?" Victor questioned.

"Come on, Vic," Blade pleaded. "It's tradition."

"Well we do have an errand," pointed out Victor.

"What difference will a few minutes make?" asked Blade. Victor started to walk down the main lab tossing his new pokéball up and down but then stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Are you implying that you can beat me in a few minutes?" asked Victor with flame in his eyes. Blade grinned like a gengar. Victor pushed the button in the center of his pokéball and tossed it across the room. "Go, Torchic!" The ball hit the floor and snapped open. Torchic materialized once more.

Blade tossed his blue ball. "Go, Mudkip!" Mudkip emerged from his pokéball.

Victor took an action pose. "Torchic, use your scratch attack!"


	3. An Errand

Chapter 3: An Errand

Professor Bishop sat on a leather wingback chair sipping his hot coffee from a shallow cup. The old man overlooked the vast green pastures north of Rustboro City. The view was perfect for him. The mountain obscured the sunlight just enough so his window would not be searing hot to the touch.

He took a walnut from a ceramic bowl and passed it down to a trapinch. The trapinch clasped its jaws on the hard shell. It applied a fraction of its potential bite force, shattering the nutshell. The morsel inside landed in the Professor's palm. He scooped up and scarfed it down.

A realistic female robot with rubber skin and human clothes walked in.

"Professor," the robot chimed. "Your colleague, Professor Evergreen just left a message. She claims to have made a groundbreaking discovery. Due to troubles with the electronic mail server, she is sending two students with a data disc to you." The Professor finished his coffee and set the cup on a saucer.

"Thank you," said Professor Bishop with a raspy voice. "I will call her back." He stood up and walked out the double doors of his office. Walking down the hallway of his penthouse, his trusted robotic servant followed behind him.

"You must be very proud of your colleague on making suck a tremendous discovery," said the robot.

"Perhaps," replied the Professor. "I don't see why she has to send her students to deliver the disk to me like a couple of errand boys. She has to realize that it is not the 3,900s anymore and things have changed since she was a child.

"It seems that you do not approve of the young Professor Evergreen at all," commented the robot, still with an upbeat tone in her voice.

"And you would be right," Professor Bishop said turning left at a perpendicular hallway. "In all truthfulness, the only reason that spoiled graduate student got to ride her oaf of a father's coattails into his old job is because my predecessor, Professor Hastings allowed it. Let me tell you, at the next Ever Grande conference, her tenure _will_ be brought up."

The Professor stepped at the telescreen, grasped the phone and yanked it off. He nearly lost his balance forgetting that the phones on these things no longer had chords. An animation pooped up on the screen of a sleeping slakoth. Professor Bishop thought the new loading screen was ugly and missed the old animation, which was of a pixelated slowpoke.

Back at the Pokémon lab, Victor and Blade continued their battle with Torchic and Mudkip, leaving skid marks on the floor.

"Mudkip ,use Mud Slap!" commanded Blade. Mudkip leapt in the air. His tail glowed a bright white. He spun around, collecting the dirt particles and water vapor in the air into a mass. It was flung at Torchic and hit him in the face before Victor could even open his mouth to command him to dodge. The mud forced Torchic's eyes tightly shut. "Now, let's finish this with Water Gun!" Mudkip opened his jaws, spraying water from the back of his throat. The water threw Torchic off his balance. Torchic teetered on one foot, trying to stay up. He slipped on some mud and toppled back. Victor ran over and picked Torchic up. "YEAH!" Blade leapt in celebration. Victor wiped Torchic's eyes.

"You did great Torchic," said Victor as Blade high-fived his new friend. "It's so obvious why you were eager to battle now." Victor and Blade called their respective pokémon back into their pokéballs. Professor Evergreen walked up to the two, clapping.

"Bravo! Well done, you two!" congratulated the Professor. Blade and victor turned and bowed to their teacher. "Now as before, I need you to deliver that disc to Rustboro." She then opened her arms. "After you clean up this mess!" She handed a mop to Blade and a squeegee to Victor. The two exchanged glances. Victor smiled while Blade had a stern look. The phone rang. Professor Evergreen walked over to the telescreen and picked the phone up. Professor Bishop appeared on the screen. "Ah, Professor Bishop."

"I apologize that I missed your call," said Professor Bishop as he forced a smile.

"That's okay," said Evergreen gleefully. "Blade and Victor should be on their way as soon as they are done with a few chores." The Professor's smile faded as he raised an eyebrow.

"I-I'm sorry…Blade?" asked a confused Professor Bishop.

"Oh!" Evergreen blushed. "I forgot to mention that one of my students uses the name, Blade. He hasn't told me his real name and his mother avoids the topic. I think Victor might know."

"You mean to tell me that the Hoenn pokémon professor doesn't know the name of one of her students?" Professor Bishop asked with a stern look.

"As far as he is concerned, Blade _is_ his name," said Professor Evergreen.

"So be it." Professor Bishop said releasing the muscles around his eyebrows. Evergreen moved the phone away from her ear. The professor raised his arm causing her to put the phone back to her ear. "Just one more thing."

"Yes?" Professor Evergreen asked.

"I almost forgot that I am having dinner with the Senator this Friday and there is an old bottle of Kalosian wine, 3,912. I left it in the lab's cellar while I was working with your father on the new pokédex," explained the Professor. "Would you mind having your students deliver it to me along with the disk?"

"Of course," said Evergreen. Blade ringed his mop into the bucket as he and Victor finished cleaning up the lab.

"I'm telling you," commented Blade. "Her ditto does all the work. Anybody can impersonate a gloom."

"Blade, Victor!" called Professor Evergreen from across the hall. The two boys stopped cleaning and turned to her. She approached the two. "I'll take care of the rest of the mess. I need you to deliver this along with the disk to Professor Bishop and he needs it as soon as possible." She handed a green bottle with a brownish label with the illustration of a zebstrika and carriage. "It's old, rare and expensive. Do not break it, do not lose it and do not cook with it." Victor took the flask gingerly and placed it in his bag.

"I will guard it with my life, Madame," Victor playfully said. The two turned to the entrance of the lab.

"Be safe you two." Evergreen took the mop and wiped up the rest of the mud and char.

The route 101 sign was splintered and paint was chipping. Blade walked casually with his hands in his hoodie pockets, not bothering to even bend his knees. Victor walked more naturally, turning the pages of a pocket-sized book. Cubone strutted alongside Victor with one bone club at ready and the other on his shoulder.

Blade, Victor and Cubone walked for thirty minutes until they reached a wooden signpost with letters carved into it spelling ORDALE TOWN.

"Let's get some pokéballs," said Victor.

"Great idea!" replied Blade. The two boys walked towards the pokémart. The double doors opened. Hearing the lounge music, Victor smiled upon entering. He started towards the counter with Blade treading behind him.

"Hi," said Victor to the store clerk, still smiling. He took out his wallet. "Ten pokéballs, please." The boy at the counter wore an apron and a sableye hat.

"Twonny Figh hunnid," said the boy in a high-pitched voice. Victor assumed by the way he talked and dressed, his head was not screwed on right. Since he was very nice though, neither one of them was bothered by him.

"What?" questioned Victor. "I thought pokéballs were a hundred bucks each. Ten times a hundred is a thousand."

"Price of pokéballs wenn up, recently. Now one fiddy a pop," explained the boy. "Devon Corporation is charging more now. We gotta raise the price to turn a profit."

"Those two faced fatcats!" ranted Blade. "Just because they're the only game in Hoenn, they think they can swindle their distributors?"

"You think that would be the case but the sitchyation is not that black and white," corrected the boy. "There's a shortage of synfettic diamons. One of the key materials in a ball. Some anonymous buyer is stockpiling the stuff," continued the young clerk. "If this keeps up they'll be as valuable as real ones," he chuckled.

"Why would someone stockpile synthetic diamond?" wondered Victor out loud.

"Twonny Figh hunnid," repeated the boy. Victor complied and rummaged through his money. Each pokédollar had its respective color and number representing its value in gold. Instead of important men on the bills the portraits were of pokémon. The ones had pikachu. The fives had clefairy. The tens had squirtle. The twenties had lucario. The fifties had nidoking. The hundreds had charizard. Five hundred bills existed but outside circulation. If you were to be caught with one people would assume you robbed a bank. They are said to have mew on the portrait.

Victor placed twenty-five charizards on the glass surface of the counter. The clerk put ten pokéballs on a paper tray. Victor saw what he had paid for but remembered that at most pokémarts included a premier ball with a purchase of ten or more pokéballs.

"What about my premier ball?" asked Victor as politely as he could convey.

"Sorry. Gave away the lass one not two days ago. Here." The boy reached into a bin and took out a blue ball with a water pattern on the shell. "You can have this. It's on me."

"What is it?" asked Victor.

"A dive ball," replied the boy. "Works well on pokémon that live in water. You just seemed so 'xited and I cuddn't disappoint."

"Well thank you very much," said Victor, stepping aside.

Blade stepped forward and took twenty-five crinkled charizards out of his pocket along with a few gum wrappers and a used napkin. He placed the bills on the counter. "Ten pokéballs please." The clerk repeated the task. "What do _I_ get?" The boy rummaged under the counter.

"Well the only thing I have left not in inventory is this here fame checker." The boy placed a red handheld device with a black screen and black buttons. "You can keep up to date about the status of famous people.

Blade looked into the boy's eyes and forced a smile. "Thank you." Outside the store, the device rattled and clattered inside a public trashcan. "Useless piece of crap. Come on. Let's go to Petalburg. I wanna challenge the gym there."

"Hang on. I need to assign Cubone to a pokéball." Victor took a pokéball out of his shopping bag and held it under his pokédex. He repeatedly pushed a button on the right side of the device. Each time he pushed the button, the screen changed to an overhead view of a different environmental biome. Victor stopped at ravine and opened the ball. Cubone de-materialized and was lifted into the ball. Victor closed and shrank it. "You have a good rest," said Victor putting the ball in his belt.

They walked for another fifteen minutes until they reached a shimmering lake.

"Lithe!" both boys stopped and turned to see a growlithe munching on a cascoon shell.

"What's a growlithe doing all the way out in Hoenn?" asked Victor.

"Maybe he belonged to a trainer," said Blade. "Coulda been released or got lost," he guessed.

Victor took out his pokédex and looked at the screen. "Nope," he said. "Says it's wild. If it was released, it would still be marked as domesticated."

"Growlithe," chirped the pokédex. "The puppy pokémon. Growlithe has a superb sense of smell. Once it smells anything, this Pokémon won't forget the scent, no matter what. It uses its advanced olfactory sense to determine the emotions of other living things." Victor closed his pokédex and put it back in his bag.

"If that's the case, then I call dibs!" Blade pulled out Mudkip's pokéball and threw it. "Go, Mudkip!" The ball opened and Midkip materialized.

"Kip," said Mudkip.

"Mudkip, use Bubble!" Blade commanded. Mudkip opened his mouth and sprayed a cascade of water bubbles at the growlithe, each bubble bursting on impact, knocking him further and further back. Growlithe lost his balance and became dizzy.

Blade took a pokéball out of his bag and threw it. "Go pokéball!" The ball opened upon bouncing off Growlithe's hide. He de-materialized and receded into the ball. The ball made a clicking sound after a few seconds of shaking. "BOOYAH!" Blade leapt skyward in victory. "Can you believe it? That was so amazing! I was all like…"

Suddenly a black sphere splashed out of the lake and burst into a cloud of thick black smoke. Blade and Victor were knocked back as they concealed their eyes until they adjusted them to the drastic change of light.

They opened their eyes to see two silhouetted figures. One figure was seemingly male, the other seemingly female. Blade focused more on the male who was holding something. Upon taking a closer look, he realized that it was the pokéball holding his growlithe and heard a voice say, "I believe this is ours!"


	4. The Protege

Chapter 4: The Protege

The smoke cleared, revealing two thugs in purple. One was male and the other female. Both with mohawks The male had an octillery at his side.

"You better give that back!" demanded Blade. "Get em, Mudkip!" Victor took out Cubone's pokéball and threw it.

"Cubone, it's all you!" cried Victor. Cubone emerged from his ball.

"Mudkip, use Water Gun!" commanded Blade.

"Cubone, use Bonemerang!" added Victor. Water sprayed from the back of Mudkip's throat as Cubone threw his two bone clubs at Octillery.

"Use Protect!" commanded the male thug. A green barrier formed around Octillery and the thugs. The water splashed the barrier and ran down it like rainwater on a window. Cubone's bone clubs bounced off the barrier just as it faded. "Now use Charge Beam!" Octillery inflated his cranium and fired a beam of pure electricity from his mouth. Cubone tried to protect Mudkip by jumping in the way of the beam but it was too fast. The beam struck Mudkip and although was a ground type along with a water type, it did not help. Mudkip fell on his back, knocked out cold. Cubone grew angry and rushed at Octillery and leapt upward. Victor would have been upset with Cubone but he was just about to tell Cubone to attack anyway. "Octillery, use Water Pulse!" snapped the male thug. Octillery blasted Cubone with a funnel of cold water. Cubone being the stubborn pokémon he was could have took that hit if it weren't point-blank.

Cubone shared Mudkip's fate as both boys retracted them into their respective pokéballs and put them away. They pulled out Metang and Kirlia's pokéballs and threw them. The two pokémon materialized and took battle stances.

"Metang, use Confusion!" Victor commanded. Metang's eyes glowed. Octillery levitated off the ground.

"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!" commanded Blade. Kirlia took a stance and released a dozen glowing leaves, each one hitting the stationary target.

"Now Metang, finish him off with your Take Down attack!" Metang rammed Octillery, sending him skidding across the lake's surface before being called back into his ball. The two boys high fived.

"We did it!" cried Victor.

"Hell yeah!" added Blade.

The thugs pulled out two more pokéballs. The female threw hers first. "Go Crobat!" Crobat emerged from her ball.

"Go Sharpeedo!" The male thug threw his ball and Sharpeedo emerged. The two horrifying beasts loomed over Kirlia and Metang. Victor stared at them in fear while Blade stood strong.

"We will give you one more chance to give up the code," said the female thug.

"What code?" asked Victor. "Is that what this is all about?"

"Don't patronize us, you brat!" snapped the male thug. "Fork the code over and we will forgo the pummeling of your pokémon."

"Metang, use Confusion on Crobat!" cried Victor

"Crobat, use Agility!" commanded the female. Crobat was faster than Metang. No matter how hard the Metal pokémon concentrated, it could not get a hold of the devilish nightmare.

"Sharpeedo, jump on Crobat!" ordered the male. Sharpeedo landed on Crobat's back.

"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!" exclaimed Blade. Crobat spanned her wings and took every leaf Kirlia threw at Sharpeedo. They bounced off her body like pins off a brick wall.

"Crobat, fly!" the female directed Crobat complied the female's orders. She ascended with Sharpeedo still on her back. At an altitude of around one hundred feet, Crobat dove towards the surface.

"Use Psybeam!" Blade and Victor cried in unison. Kirlia and Metang formed two orbs of energy in between their paws. The orbs became beams as they thrust their arms forward. The beams spiraled around each other until merging into one. Crobat did a barrel roll around the beam and while lost some momentum, stayed on course. The two thugs called up to their respective pokémon.

"Crobat, use Hyper Beam!" called the Female

"Sharpeedo use Hyrdo Pump!" The male added as the two pokémon opened their mouths and fired. The attacks layered over each other into one beam. As it impacted with Kirlia and Metang, the beam grew wider as distance between the opposing teams decreased. The beam created an explosion, sending Kirlia and Metang flying past Blade and Victor.

"Give us the code now!" demanded the male thug. Victor still had his Torchic left but it still would be two against one and with the scale of the pokémon, it might as well have been eight. Plus it would be irresponsible to pit an inexperienced torchic against two highly evolved pokémon.

"We don't know what you're talking about. We swear!" Victor pleaded.

"Well then I guess we will have to-"

"You're gonna wanna hold off on taking any secret codes today," a teenage voice said interrupting the male as a Hydro Pump rocketed from the woods knocking out sharpeedo and knocking his master off his feet, sending him flying and smashing into a tree. A dark-haired male trainer dressed in all black with sunglasses burst from the trees on the back of a majestic gyarados. He wore a black leather jacket to match his leather boots and black jeans. Underneath his jacket he wore a shirt with a duskull's skull printed on it. He took a pokéball with a black upper hemisphere out of his belt, expanded it and threw it. "Go, Alakazaam!" Alakazaam rose out of his ball and struck a fighting pose. "Alakazaam, use Psychic attack!" ordered the enigmatic trainer. Alakazaam's eyes glowed a bright blue as the two spoons in his hands bent forward. Crobat couldn't move a muscle. She could feel but it was like she was sealed in a membrane of telekinetic energy. An unseen force flung Crobat miles into the distance.

"Crobat!" cried the female grunt as she started off in the direction her pokémon was thrown. Blade ran up to the dark trainer.

"Come on! Let's go after her!" yelled Blade.

"No." the trainer said looking down to Blade. "I want her friends to know what happened." Victor approached.

"Who are you?" Victor asked.

"My name is Pierce," said the trainer. "I am a student of Professor Bishop. Those two scumbags were associates of Team Gravity." Peirce walked over to the, reached into the tall grass, picked up Growlithe's pokéball and tossed it to Blade. Blade caught it close to his chest with both hands. "Take my advice," said Peirce. "When you catch a pokémon in Gravity territory, DON'T DO A VICTORY DANCE AND GLOAT!"

"Oh, Arceus!" cried the male thug. "It hurts so bad! I think you broke every bone in my body!" Peirce, Blade and Victor approached the twisted mangled felon.

"Apparently not every bone, since you're flapping your jaw, fine." Peirce said wittingly. The male grunt let out a shriek in agony. "I should probably leave you out here and let you suffer for all the crimes your gang has committed but I don't want to burden the beauty of these woods with your moaning. Alakazaam, use Hypnosis." Alakazaam's eyes glowed red again and the thug drifted off to sleep. Peirce pulled out his pokénav. "I'm calling a medevac right now. He will be airlifted to Rustboro." Peirce walked away with the pokénav to his ear. Blade and Victor stood by and waited for Peirce to be done. They contemplated on what they would ask first for they had a lot of questions for this new ally of theirs. After a couple of minutes, Peirce approached clapping his pokénav shut. "Medevac's on the way," Peirce said before pulling out Alakazaam's pokéball and a pokéball with a blue hemisphere and a net pattern over it. He squeezed them both and retracted Alakazaam and Gyarados. Peirce shrank both balls and put them back in his belt. Victor looked and saw pokéballs he had not even heard of. Only one in his belt was a regular ball. He could only wonder what other pokémon he held.

"So tell me," Peirce said. "What brings you out here?"

"We're delivering a disk and a wine bottle to Professor Bishop," said Blade.

"Well as I said before, I am a student of Bishop's so if you give me the disk and the bottle, I can fly them to Rustboro on my charizard," elaborated Peirce.

"Sure thing, mysterious kid we just met. We'll give the valuable goods to you," said Victor in a sarcastic tone. "But first, let Blade and I go back to Ordale and tell our socials to that guy in the striped shirt and wool cap."

"I get it!" said Peirce. "You don't trust me." Peirce rummaged through his fanny pack and pulled out a plastic card. "Look. Here's my trainer ID." Peirce's picture was of his younger self. He had shorter hair the lack of sunglasses showed that his eyes had bright crimson irises. Even as a child he did not smile. Victor examined the card.

Name: Peirce Hoary

Date of Birth: 10/24/3999

Nationality: Eastern Union of Democratic Republics

Ethnicity: Kanto

Hair: BLK

Eyes: RED

Instructor: Prof. Julian Heinrich Bishop

Starting pokémon: Charmander

Serial Number: 3263827

"You have nice eyes," commented Victor.

"Thank you for the compliment," said Peirce ironically, swiping the card back out of Victor's hand. "So _now_ will you let me take the goods to Professor Bishop?"

"We've come a long way to deliver these goods," said Blade. "To pass them on like a baton is kind of unfulfilling."

"Well I think my charizard can carry the weight of the three of us," said Peirce.

"Out of the question," interjected Victor. "I am extremely freaked out by heights."

"Really?" Blade said turning to Victor.

"Remember when my parents took us hang gliding and I couldn't go because I had an upset stomach?" asked Victor.

"Yeah?" replied Blade.

"I faked that," said Victor.

"I guess…we'll continue on foot," Blade concluded.

"I'll come with you," added Peirce as Victor turned to him.

"Thanks a bunch, but we don't need a babysitter," said Victor. Peirce stared back into Victor's eyes.

"That little performance with Team Gravity says another thing," said Peirce with a more serious tone. "You are too inexperienced to take on these thugs. These aren't second-rate pokémon poachers from Kanto. This is a collective organized syndicate. They have bases. They have a command structure. They have pamphlets."

"Oh no!" Victor said putting his hands over his cheeks and forcing a concerned look. "Not pamphlets. I thought these people could be kept in check but with pamphlets, they're unstoppable. All hope is lost!" Victor wandered off. Peirce raised an eyebrow and looked at Blade.

"Is he always like this?" asked Peirce.

"When he's defensive," said Blade. A whirring sound was heard. The three turned to see the medevac descend. Two paramedics stepped out and lifted the sleeping thug onto a stretcher and lifted the stretcher into the vehicle.

"You two wait over there. The medics are going to want to know what happened," said Peirce. Blade and Victor walked away as a paramedic approached Peirce. The two stood at a mossy rock.

"How do we know we can trust this…Peirce?" asked Victor.

"His ID seemed legit. He is a student of Professor Bishop," pointed out Blade.

"But how much do we really know about Professor Bishop?" added Victor. "I mean he was a graduate student of Professor Hastings, then he became his partner and then his successor. A man that has never called up Professor Evergreen in all of our seven years of learning and when he finally does, we get attacked by two psychos demanding a secret code from us on the one errand out of the hundreds we've gone on that we have to deliver something to him."

"I think you're just being paranoid," said Blade.

"You may be right," said Victor as Peirce approached.

"Shall we proceed to Petalburg?" asked Peirce.

"Yeah," said Blade as the three started walking. "I can't wait to challenge the Petalburg Gym."

"Yes you can," corrected Peirce.

"Why?" asked Blade. Peirce turned to Blade.

"After the leader, Norman went on to the Battle Frontier, his son, Brendan took his place." Peirce stopped talking. Blade waited for Peirce to say something else. "And?" Blade asked.

"That is all I can tell you," said Peirce.

"Why?" asked Victor.

"There is a gym opening in Lavender town and I am one of the trainers being considered as leader," replied Peirce.

"What does that have to do with Brendan?" asked Victor.

"I'm getting to that," Peirce replied. "One rule of the Pokémon League is never talk about Brendan. All I can tell you is that today is the anniversary." The three stopped at the gate to Petalburg City.

"The anniversary of what?" asked Blade.

"I've already said too much." Peirce said taking a step back. "If I say any more, I jeopardize my chance at the gym." Peirce walked westward. "I must meditate. You may challenge the gym if you wish." The other two boys walked in the same direction. Peirce turned north down a perpendicular pathway.

Blade and Victor continued west towards the gym. As they approached it, they noticed how much it had decayed. ivy had crept up the walls, the paint had chipped away in many spots. Weeds and tall grass had consumed the lawn Victor ripped some ivy away that had been obscuring the sign. Faded letters spelled; Petalburg City Pokémon Gym. Leader: Brendan. The word Brendan was not as faded as the others. It was painted on more recently.

Blade and Victor pushed the doors and entered the gym. The lights were mostly out. 2 of the fluorescent lights were on but were flickering. The floor was dirty.

A shadowed figure sat sideways on an armchair gazing at a strip of paper. At a closer glimpse, Victor recognized it as one of those filmstrips one would get at an amusement park photo booth. Victor took a look at Brendan to see that his hair was long and sloppily brushed back. He looked like he hadn't shaved in months. Hair engulfed his lips. Victor then realized what a terrible idea this was. Blade took one step in front of Victor.

"Uhhh…hello there," greeted Blade, nervously. Brendan took one glimpse at the two boys. "They briefly saw the fluorescent light reflect off his eyes. He looked away again. "Ah…we would like to have a battle with you." Brendan reached into a tote full of aluminum badges of equal shape, size and color. He took out two and tossed them across the room. They clattered at the boys' feet.

"Just take them and get out," The gym leader said. Blade and Victor looked down at the badges but did not pick them up.

"But we don't want to earn them this way," said Blade. The irritation in Brendan's nerves grew into anger. Blade opened his mouth to say something more.

"GO!" snapped Brendan. The two boys turned their tails and darted back towards the double doors, slamming them behind them. They exchanged glances and then looked back, recalling on what the hell had just happened.


	5. Danger

Chapter 5: Danger

Peirce sat in a public meditation hut with his legs crossed. The radius of the volcanic tubes underneath him at convenient enough measurement to act as a pipe organ. Every time the ground water evaporated into steam and escaped the planet's crust, it almost sounded like music. It was soothing and helped visitors relax.

Peirce let the turmoil inside him settle to the bottom. As he did, he felt lighter. He almost felt light as air until a spike of energy pierced him. One he had been waiting for.

He opened his eyes to see the stars zoom past him. As they stopped, he looked down to see he had become a glowing white silhouette of his body. He stood on a crystal atoll. Peirce looked beyond and saw countless stars of all hues and sizes illuminating the night sky.

Peirce wanted to look around but felt a coldness on the back of his neck and he dared not turn his head. He looked before him and saw a narrow path of shale across a white ocean. He felt the coldness creeping closer and did not know what it was, only that it was sinister and could not let it catch him.

Peirce started town the path. No matter how many steps he took, his feet did not get tired. Peirce soon saw a pokémon at the end of the road. It was majestic. Standing on four legs, it had a long neck that ended at a head with two bright eyes.

Peirce could not identify the pokémon due to the white light it emanated but knew that it was his only protection from the darkness that crept behind him. He felt it getting closer. The chill on the back of his neck started to become a sheer cold.

As he got closer to the pokémon, he heard familiar sounds behind him and immediately recognized when and where they were from. They were from the worst day of his life. He remembered the fire, the explosions, the screaming and how fast he and Duskull ran that day.

It was a trick. The thing wanted Peirce to turn around. Peirce tuned the sounds out of his head and thought of happier times. Catching Tentacool, receiving Charmander from Professor Bishop, meeting Siddie and Ehren at the picnic, winning his first battle.

He looked closer at the pokémon. It was Arceus, the pokémon that created the universe. Which meant the pokémon behind him was none other than Giratina, the fallen one.

Peirce picked up the pace, he could sense Giratina getting closer. He had to run but the path was so narrow, he was afraid to fall. He had to have faith Arceus would not let him.

Peirce ran faster than he ever ran before. He had to watch his feet and the road and whatever he did, he could not look back. The road grew wider as Peirce approached Arceus. Arceus' warmth drove the coldness away. The majestic pokémon reached out with his right leg. Peirce reached for Arceus.

As he touched with Arceus' foot, he felt a completion in himself. Suddenly the mood of bliss changed to fear. He saw images flash before him. He saw Professor Bishop on the back of his Flygon in an aerial battle with a masked man on a Salamence.

Peirce regained awareness of the environment he was in. After showering and changing into his street clothes, Peirce slung his bag over his shoulder, snapped on his pokéball belt and put his shades on. Leaving the building he saw Blade and Victor running towards him.

"Hey Peirce!" called Victor. Peirce looked and saw they were excited to see him but knew something was puzzling them. "They seem to have met Brendan," Peirce thought to himself. They stopped at Peirce. "Hey Peirce," repeated Victor. He was surprisingly happy to see Peirce but his face could not hide the turmoil stirring in him from what he had experienced in Petalburg Gym. "What are you up to?" Victor asked. Blade always noticed that Victor was hard on new people he met that made a bad first impression on him and then felt bad later on. So to make up to them, he acted extra nice.

"I'm on my way to the pokémon center," said Peirce.

"Why?" asked Blade. "You already restored our pokémon."

"Yeah but I need to transport that gyarados I caught."

Victor gaped in amazement. "But I thought that was your signature water pokémon," Victor said.

"Oh no," Peirce corrected. "While on occasion I do use a gyarados or a cloyster, they are no substitute for my tentacruel."

"Maybe then we can contact Professor Evergreen and ask her what her psycho friend's problem is," added Blade.

"This situation is like a cave," commented Peirce. "The deeper you go, the darker it gets." On that, the three started towards the pokémon center.

Professor Bishop walked into the main lobby of Rustboro General Hospital. He saw a few police officers and detectives murmuring near the reception desk. They noticed him approaching as they turned to greet him.

A detective in a suit and dirty blonde hair stepped forward

"Professor Bishop," the Detective said. "It's been too long."

"Detective Bullock." Professor Bishop Bowed.

Bullock turned to a dark-skinned man with curly white hair and a long brown raincoat.

"I believe you know Detective Frost," Bullock said as the two shook hands. He then turned to a policeman at his right. "And this is Deputy Carbuncle." Professor Bishop bowed to the Deputy.

"So where is he?" asked Professor Bishop.

"In a recovery ward," said Frost "We already tried to get information out of him. He is not talking."

"Mind if I give it a try?" the Professor asked. "I majored in psychology while I was still unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. Maybe I can make him think I am a psychologist." Professor Bishop took off his lab coat. "I can convince him to talk to you."

"It's unorthodox, but it's worth a try," said Frost, turning to Bullock.

"Alright," said Bullock. "I hope this works."

Professor Bishop walked into the ward and shut the door behind him. The ward was empty except for him and the grunt. He walked past the empty beds. The one with the grunt resting in it was at the end by the window.

The grunt heard footsteps but could not turn his head to see who it was. He was in a body cast with his right leg suspended by a harness. He started to bead with sweat as he heard the dragging of a chair. Professor Bishop set the chair at the foot of the bed and sat down.

"What do you know about my code?" Professor Bishop began. The grunt's eyes widened. Fear filled his heart as sweat trickled down from his forehead. "How did you know where to find it?" Professor Bishop began to fiddle with his ring. He turned a switch, which simply looked like a ridge pattern around the stone.

Meanwhile in the security room, the TV displaying the recovery ward via security camera flickered and then displayed only static. A slightly overweight man with a receding hairline and goatee sat at a desk. He held a cup of yogurt and was about to scoop some into his mouth when he saw the static. He stood up and tapped the screen to no avail. The man picked up his walkie talkie and pushed the button.

"Hey Carl, one of the cameras in rec ward 3 is malfunctioning," said the man. The TV to the right of it flickered and turned to static. "Now both cameras are malfunctioning." The walkie talkie crackled.

"I'll call the I.T. guy first thing in the morning," crackled a voice from the walkie talkie.

"Got it." The man put down his walkie talkie. Back in the recovery ward Professor Bishop stood up and walked towards the head of the grunt's cot and yanked the line from his I.V. bag.

"I just severed your painkiller," said Professor Bishop into the grunt's ear, "In a few moments you will begin to feel the splinters of your bones wedging into your skeletal muscles. Tell me what I want to know." The grunt bit his lip. "I know you're hurting." Professor Bishop picked up his chair and smashed it down on the thug's left leg.

The vibrations through the fiberglass cast made the splinters in his leg rattle. The door muffled his cry. The hospital was built during the war so the doors were designed to keep the cries of the wounded from civilians.

Professor Bishop reconnected the line to the grunt's I.V. The Professor then walked over to a cart and took some surgical scissors and walked back over to the patient.

"You think that was unbearable?" the Professor asked. "I will sever your painkiller again." He put the scissors to his line. "And this time it will stay severed." He walked over to the other side of the cot and leaned down. "Unless you tell me what I want to know right now." The grunt slurred something. "What?" the Professor leaned inward with one ear towards the grunt.

"Come Closer," said the grunt. The Professor leaned inward. The grunt scrunched his lips together and spat blood mixed with saliva in Professor Bishop's face.

Professor Bishop flinched. He stayed calm as he opened his eyes. He knew the grunt was pushing his buttons and trying to get a reaction out of him. Professor Bishop turned and casually walked towards the sink. He took a rag and wiped the blood off his face.

"Now if that's out of your system, perhaps you can now-" Suddenly, an explosion interrupted the Professor. Professor Bishop veered around to see a gaping hole where the window and patient used to be. He looked further to see another grunt on the back of a salamence. Professor Bishop took a pokéball out of his belt and ran towards the hole as Salamence flew away.

Professor Bishop pushed the button on the ball, expanding it. He threw it through the hole and dove after it. After falling ten stories, he landed on the back of a flygon. He could have easily waited for Flygon to come to him but time was of the essence and he trusted his old friend to catch him.

The Professor had his flygon since before the war. He caught it as a vibrava while excavating ruins in the desert. When war broke out, they were drafted into the military and spent four years protecting Kanto and Johto from the Nationalists.

"We gotta go after him!" exclaimed Professor Bishop. "Use Fly!" Flygon zoomed after Salamence. The grunt turned around to see Professor Bishop on the back of Flygon. He kicked Salamence with the heels of his boots. In response the blue dragon flew faster.

Professor Bishop heeled Flygon, telling him to keep up with Salamence. Flygon zoomed across the city fifty meters behind Salamence "Flygon, use Ice Beam!" Flygon opened his mouth and shot a blue line of coldness. As it extended past the buildings, a film of ice formed on the windows. Salamence swerved up to the right. While the beam missed him, he still felt the sheer coldness it emitted. Salamence shrieked in discomfort.

Salamence and his partner approached the Devon Headquarters. He made a sharp 90 degree turn upwards. The grunt turned around again. He'd know that Flygon anywhere. The tip of his tail was severed. It was none other than that of Julian Bishop's.

The grunt knew that the Professor's physical performance was above exceptional. But as an old man, it was bound to be marginal. The grunt let Salamence fly higher. Both dragons ascended beyond the skyline. The grunt knew that a human being could not last long in the stratosphere, the extremely cold temperature and lack of oxygen being the main factors. However the grunt knew that he could last longer.

The Professor also knew this. He had to conserve his breath. Without closing his eyes, he entered a meditative state. He felt the energy of the living cosmos coarse through him.

Salamence vanished into a cumulus cloud. Professor Bishop kicked twice to his right meaning Fly. In the war, the Professor and his flygon devised a system for situations like this when command could not be uttered or heard. One kick to the left meant Ice Beam. Two kicks to the left meant Hyper Beam. One kick to the left meant Aerial Ace. Two kicks to the right meant Fly. He just hoped Flygon remembered after 30 long years.

Flygon increased in speed. Professor Bishop's spectacles became foggy as they entered the cloud. He closed his eyes and went deeper into his meditation. He felt the Aura of Flygon. He reached out further and felt Salamence swooping in. Thinking quickly, Professor Bishop kicked both sides once meaning dodge.

Flygon swerved to the left. Salamance and his rider widened their eyes in shock. Now Professor Bishop had the upper hand. Flygon sped after Salamence and sliced him with his left wing.

Salamence hurdled diagonally downward but regained balance soon after, only to see Flygon charging an orb of orange energy in his mouth. Flygon fired. Salamence formed a spherical bubble of green energy around him. The beam split into four stray streams upon impact. The force of the beam pushed the bubble back. The impact created a brief fiery explosion, sending Salamence spiraling back a few meters.

Salamence bent his neck back and charged a Hyper Beam in his mouth. Flygon fired an Ice beam as Salamence fired his Hyper Beam. The beams intersected and exploded at the point. Meanwhile in the streets below, the citizens of Rustboro looked up to see the explosions. A crowd by a news stand smiled up at the exchange of beams and explosions and sighed, thinking it was a fireworks show.

Salamence swooped under Flygon, dodging another Hyper Beam. Flygon arced over Salamence and an image he reminisced flashed before him. It was of a lower altitude. It was daytime and the city was in flames. The rider wore dark armor and a black helmet. The Salamence was scarred and had scorch marks on his hide.

The Professor then realized what this was. It was a flashback to the battle of Rustboro, the invasion of Hoenn near the end of the war. Professor Bishop dropped out of his meditative state. All emotions returned to him and he could only physically feel his flygon. The connection was gone.

Flygon dove down towards Salamence. Salamence formed another protective sphere around him. Flygon fired another ice beam at Salamence. As the beam hit the barrier the forward hemisphere began to thin and increase in clarity. Flygon rammed Salamence, shattering the barrier. Salamence hurdled towards the ground. Flygon made a somersault. Salamence and the grunt looked up to see a Hyper Beam headed straight at their faces.

The jolt snapped the grunt's harness. He hurdled towards the ground. His dizzy companion, unable to save him crashed and skidded into the roof of an apartment building, leaving a path of broken concrete. Those who lived in the top floor saw the plaster start to chip away from the ceilings.

Flygon zoomed after the falling grunt. Professor Bishop knew that he had to save him or there would be no way to get any information on Team Gravity. Flygon stuck his feet out as he neared the falling grunt. The grunt did not reach for them. Something was wrong. Nobody could be this dedicated.

The grunt smashed into an automobile and bounced into the sidewalk. Pedestrians dispersed with expressions of terror as blood covered the pavement. Flygon landed on his feet. Professor Bishop leapt off his flygon and ran towards the bleeding grunt. He pushed past the pedestrians and ran towards the bleeding grunt and grabbed him by the vest and shook him in some hope that he survived the fall.

It was no use. If the grunt wasn't dead, he was very near the end. Blood covered the half of his body that skidded on the pavement and was foaming at the mouth. Another image flashed into Professor Bishop's mind. It was daytime and he was holding a fellow soldier by a blood-soaked green jacket. He had similar injuries and his helmet was dented.

The Professor wailed in fear, he looked around and saw flashes of explosions and a burning city in his head. He saw legions of Charizard, Braviary and Dragonite flying overhead in formation. Reality and memory snapped back and fourth. His eyes rolled back into his head. He frantically flopped about like a magikarp out of water. The professor jerked about the sidewalk uncontrollably as the pedestrians were stricken with surprise and shock.

"Somebody call a medevac!" pleaded a woman in a fur coat.

"Help him!" called a teenage boy with a skateboard. Professor continued to frantically shake as sirens approached.


	6. Answers

Chapter 6: Answers

The double doors opened as Blade, Victor and Peirce walked in. They approached the phone on the counter. A female humanoid robot dressed as a nurse, draped in a white gown stood at the counter. As they passed her, she suddenly jerked around in their general direction. Her eyes glowed neon cerulean. Blade and Victor jumped in surprise.

"He-llllllllllo and w-www-wwwelcome to the pokémon center," said the robot "Here-ere-ere we restore your p-p-p-p-pokémon to full health. Would-ould yyyyou like to rest your pokémon?"

"No, thank you," said Victor raising his hand politely. Victor didn't like the new bots. He liked it better when real people were at the counters but Victor also knew what a lousy job it was to be a Nurse Joy. If he had to say the same thing over and over again every time a trainer came through those double doors, wear that same ridiculous outfit and make your hair that ridiculous shape every single day of the year for unacceptable wages, receiving a letter saying "Your services are no longer required" with a nice little severance check would not be the worst thing in the world.

Blade hated the bots. He thought they were creepy. They only moved when they needed to. When they did move, it was too rhythmic. There was no flaw to their body language and their eyes followed people like a painting in a haunted mansion movie. Blade and Victor stood at the phone staring at the screensaver animation.

"Well?" asked Blade, turning to Victor. "Aren't you going to pick it up?"

"Oh, it's all you," replied Victor.

Blade hesitantly reached for the phone. He then remembered how Brendan behaved towards them. He scowled in resentment as he snatched the phone up.

"Call Professor Evergreen," said Blade. Victor then started to inch to the left as the screen flickered and showed Professor Evergeen with another phone to her ear and a happiny in another hand.

"Hi Blade," cheerfully greeted the young Professor. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much," said Blade. "We're just maxing in Petalburg, met a cool guy. Oh I was just wondering. Why is your friend a psycho?" The Professor's smile faded.

"Oh…that. You tried to challenge Petalburg Gym, huh?" asked Professor Evergreen

"Yeah." Blade's expression did not change. Victor stepped back into view.

"What happened to him?" Victor asked. The Professor sighed.

"It all goes back to when we were children," began Professor Evergreen. "It was I, Brendan, and another boy named Wally. I was in love with both of them. Brendan was strong, vigorous and striven. Wally was sweet, kind and caring. Together we beat Team Magma and Team Aqua and we beat the pokémon league. We were revered back in Littleroot and we felt unstoppable. Then it all changed. By the time we were teenagers, Brendan and Wally began to have a relationship. I wasn't jealous. I was happy for them both. For years, they were very happy together and we went on many more adventures. But as we grew older, we grew apart. Brendan grew clingy and possessive and forgot that Wally had a life of his own and his own goals. It began to ironically push him away. Brendan then inherited the Petalburg Gym with his dad moving on to the Battle Frontier. Meanwhile, Wally was offered an Elite Four spot and Brendan became jealous since he was the reason Wally became the trainer he is. They would have lived very far apart if they had stayed together. One day Wally told me he didn't love Brendan anymore and he wanted to be with me now. I was still in love with him and at the time I thought the feeling was mutual so I agreed to pursue a relationship with him. When Wally told Brendan he was devastated. He packed without saying a word and flew back to Petalburg." The Professor raised her hand with a diamond ring on her finger. "You know the rest."

Victor's jaw had dropped. He cupped his mouth with his left hand in utter shock. Blade scowled and stiffed his upper lip. He clenched the phone. The undersides of his fingers were red.

"You mean to tell me that the only reason that angry jerk treated us like grimer excretion is because he's moping over some schoolboy crush?" exclaimed Blade.

"Please, Blade," said Evergreen. "Have some compassion."

"Oh forgive me," replied Blade in an ironic tone of voice. "I had my fair share of crushes on the playground that didn't go according to plan but you don't see me skulking around in the darkness, looking like a hermit, yelling at my guests and smelling like a three week-old barboach taco salad!" The Professor was speechless.

"I didn't realize how bad shape he was in." Evergreen said turning her head down to the right. She pondered on how easily she gave up on her friend. She rubbed the inner corners of her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. "Look, you're too young to understand." She looked back at Blade and Victor "And I pray you learn the easy way." A chiming was heard. "I'm getting another call. I hope the next time we speak, it's on better terms." Professor Evergreen hung up and the screen changed to a graphic of the pokémon center logo. Peirce stepped forward.

"I need to call Professor Bishop and make sure my Gyarados got through," Peirce said. Blade handed the phone to Peirce.

"Come on, let's go train some," said Blade. The two boys exited through the double doors from whence they came. Peirce put his mouth to the receiver.

"Call Professor Bishop," said Peirce. The animation played. The phone was picked up by a man in a lab coat with shaggy Brown Hair with gray highlights. He wore glasses similar to Professor Bishop but didn't wear a tie like him. He wore a bright green shirt and was scrawnier than Professor Bishop. "Professor Krane?

"Hi there, Peirce," said Krane gleefully as he scratched his head. "I almost didn't recognize you. Haven't seen you since you were as high as my thigh."

"You've grown too," remarked Peirce. "Can I talk to Professor Bishop?" Krane's smile faded.

"He's in the hospital," said Professor Krane.

"WHAT?" Peirce almost dropped the phone. "When? How?

"It was a post traumatic stress disorder induced panic attack," explained Professor Krane. "He's alright but he is still recovering and cannot have any stress. That means no work. So I am in charge of the Devon pokémon lab until he gets better."

"What about the pokémon lab in Orre," asked Peirce?

"Lily and Michael can run things while I'm away," Professor Krane replied.

"What caused the attack?" asked Peirce.

"It's a long story. Mainly what happened was the Professor Bishop got in an aerial houndourfight with an agent of Team Gravity. The scenario reminded him of the war," explained Professor Krane.

"I'm sure he can recover at home," said Peirce.

"That would be the case if he didn't stay in the stratosphere for a whole six minutes," Professor Krane corrected. "He needs oxygen and a lot of rest, but again, he will be alright." Peirce sighed in relief with the knowledge his teacher was safe.

"Did you receive my gyarados," Peirce asked.

"Ah, yes!" Krane's smile returned, "and he's a quirky one." Peirce smiled with pride. "Are you sure you don't want to keep him with you? I can send it right back."

"I'm sure." Peirce said with confidence. "He may be useful for the Pokémon League," Peirce took out a pokéball with a turquoise and red upper hemisphere with three yellow lines marking the front. "But Tentacruel is the only water-type I need." Peirce reminisced of his childhood when he used to embrace his squishy body when he was still a Tentacool.

"Ah, loyalty," commented Krane. "A virtue I can respect. Listen, I gotta get back to work. See you here in Rustboro." Krane hung up. Peirce put the phone back on the cradle, now in a better mood, but still a little worried about Professor Bishop.

Meanwhile on Route 105 Blade and Victor were training their pokémon. Victor had his Torchic by his side and Blade had his Growlithe by his side. Torchic was in the middle of a battle with a Lotad.

"Torchic use Peck!" barked Victor as torchic pecked away relentlessly at the lotad. Lotad was sent flying. "You're a machine, Torchic!" Victor exclaimed. Torchic tried not to look too proud when he suddenly started glowing. Blade and Victor gazed in awe as Torchic grew and took a new shape. Victor took out his pokédex.

"Combusken," chimed the pokédex as always. "The young fowl pokémon. Combusken toughens up its legs by running through the fields and mountains. This pokémon's legs posses both speed and power, enabling it to dole out ten kicks in one second."

Suddenly, a jetstream of water rocketed from a stream and sprayed Victor and Combusken. The Two looked back to see a dratini poking his head out of the water. Victor scanned the Dratini with his pokédex. "Dratini, the dragon pokémon. Dratini continually molts and sloughs off its old skin. It does so because the life energy within its body steadily builds to reach uncontrollable levels," continued the pokédex.

"It's all mine!" Victor cried out with enthusiasm. "Combusken, use Double Kick!" Combusken leapt in the air and stomped down into the water as Dratini jumped out of the way. Combusken bounced out of the water and kicked Dratini in midair. Dratini landed in the grass. "Now use Ember!" Combusken opened his mouth and shot a barrage of flares at Dratini, knocking him even further back. Victor pulled a pokéball out of his bag and pushed the button, expanding it.

"Pokéball, go!" Victor threw the ball at Dratini, encapsulating the tiny dragon. The ball rocked back and fourth as the lens blinked red. A bead of sweat trickled down Victor's forehead. The blinking sped up. The lens shattered and Dratini burst from the ball and jumped back in the water. "Damn!" Victor ran along the stream, chasing after Dratini. Blade jogged behind Victor. "Combusken, use scratch attack!" Combusken leapt in the air and dove after Dratini. Dratini launched himself out of the stream in a membrane of water and rammed Combusken. Combusken landed in the shallow end unconscious. Victor quickly pulled out Combusken's pokéball. "Combusken Return!"

Combusken de-materialized and returned to his ball. Victor retracted the ball and put it in back in his belt. He reached for Cubone's pokéball but then remembered how badly he hurt the swellow. He then proceeded to reach for Metang's ball. He pulled it out of his belt and expanded it.

"Go Metang!" He threw the ball and Metang popped out. "Metang, use metal claw!" Metang levitated to an altitude of 20 feet. He raised his claw as it illuminated a bright white. Metang swooped down and struck Dratini, knocking him back a few meters across the surface of the water. Dratini retaliated with a stream of orange-red energy. Victor knew that attack. It was dragonbreath. At that point, Victor knew he had to have this pokémon. "Metang, use iron defense!" commanded Victor. Metang formed a transparent lining around his metallic skin. He managed to absorb most of the blast. The lining broke away, leaving only a few scorch marks on him. "Now, Metang, use confusion!"

Metang levitated Dratini out of the water. Victor knew Metang could not hold Dratini for long. Dratini struggled in midair as Victor reached in his bag for another ball. He touched another pokéball when he saw a blue object buried underneath the pokéballs. It was the dive ball he got back in Ordale Town. He yanked it out of his bag, expanded it and threw it at Dratini.

"Dive ball, go!" The dive ball de-materialized Dratini, pulling him in. It landed in the moist grass, shaking and jerking from side to side, even bouncing. Victor bit his lip. He was sweating bullets the arcs and intervals of the shaking decreased. Victor did not relax a single muscle. He would not jinx it. The ball stopped moving and did not move for three seconds…five seconds…ten seconds…click.

Victor never thought so much joy would rush into him from such a simple sound. He burst out laughing in excitement and relief. Victor ran towards the ball and slipped in the wet grass, falling on his front. He grasped the dive ball, not caring how muddy his shoes and clothes were. Victor rose to his knees and clutched the ball to his chest.

Meanwhile in Rustboro City, detectives Bullock and frost, Deputy Carbuncle, Professor Krane and two female officers gathered at the Rustboro Morgue. The six stared down at the preserved corpses of the two grunts. "Well we can't get information out of them now," remarked Bullock

"That might not be the case," interjected Krane.

"What do you mean?" asked Bullock, raising an eyebrow.

"They've only been dead a few hours," elaborated Krane. "We may still be able to extract information from their brains before they start to decompose. But to do this, I will need your best police sketch artist and a psychic pokémon." Detective Frost pulled a pokéball from beneath his trench coat and expanded it.

"Here. I have a psychic pokémon," he said. "Bronzong, please come out." Frost lightly tossed the ball to the floor, releasing a metallic azure pokémon with red eyes that hummed in a metallic tone.

"I'm willing to hear you out, Professor but I'm going to need more information on what you are planning to do before I pull my best sketch artist away from what he's doing," said Bullock.

"With all due respect, detective, your wanted posters of the Petalburg Pimp can wait," remarked Krane with his nerves on end. "Time is of the essence here, but if you insist, I will explain." Professor Krane sat down. "Think of the human brain as an overly-complicated computer. Consider your memories, your dreams, your desires, emotions, etc. as software. Now upon death, it goes away. Where does it go? That's unknowable. What we _do_ know is that sometimes something is left behind like recovered data." Krane stood up. "If we can take any left behind images and transfer the to a living person via psychic pokémon…"

"Then we might be able to get the information we need," finished Deputy Carbuncle.

"Or a piece of the puzzle big enough to help crack this case," added Krane. Bullock walked between Krane and Carbuncle. He then turned around to face Krane.

"Alright, Professor. I'll play ball with you. You'll get your sketch artist but this had better be worth it," Carbuncle said.

Peirce stormed out through the sliding doors of Rustboro General Hospital in anger, kicking a golf ball-sized rock 10 meters into the street. Blade and Victor leaned against the concrete wall waiting for Peirce (while at the same time looking cool for girls.)

"I assume things did not go well at the reception desk," said Blade. Peirce used every ounce of his willpower not to scream an expletive to the heavens. He took a deep breath inwards.

"You would assume right," said Peirce scraping the pavement with the tip of his boot. "Lady at the reception desk said _I had to be family_ ," he quoted in a mocking voice. Peirce spat in a storm drain and started down the sidewalk. "Come on. Let's go to my house." Blade turned to Victor and smirked.

"Follow the leader," he said. They treaded after Peirce. As a half hour passed, it got darker and Peirce's stride became more lively.

Victor assumed he was in a better mood now that the sky was his favorite color. Blade thought differently. There was something at home he was looking forward to. Something other than a hot bath and the ability to sleep in one's own bed. Blade wondered however if Peirce slept at all.

As the moon rose and the traffic decreased, their feet and calves grew sore. Peirce listened to thrash-metal on the mp3 app on his pokénav. It was a one-way conversation between Blade and Victor. Victor went on and on about pokémon war poetry. He mentioned one about the battle of Mount Moon and how he favored the first verse, which compiled of clippings from actual letters that soldiers wrote.

Blade only half-listened. Sometimes Blade wished he were more of an intellectual-type like Victor so they can relate more. Victor stopped talking when he noticed that they were walking down a concrete path between 2 tall shrubberies laced with chrysanthemums. Peirce approached a black iron gate and pushed a red button on an aluminum speaker box.

"It's me, Peirce. Let me in," commanded Peirce. The speaker box gargled and mimicked what Peirce just said in a static rendition.

"Voice recognition confirmed," said a female computer voice. The gate creaked open as the three walked through. Peirce walked up the porch and swiped his trainer ID on the scanner.

The front door opened. As they entered the house, they felt the temperature rise to a soothing warmth. The living room was brightly lit with yellow walls, hard wood floors and a green rug with red and white patterns. Blade was absolutely amazed at the 56-inch TV betwixt shelves upon shelves of DVDs and video games. An old cartoon was playing on the screen. Even with the digital restoration, you could see some film grain and wear. Blade ran towards the game shelves.

"I've never seen so many video games in one place (except in a video game store) but still!" cried Blade reaching up and pulling a gold cartridge out of the shelf. "You have ' _Ribos Operation_ '? And it's the gold one!" he said as he held the game close to his chest. Blade looked down to a lower shelf. " _Is that 'Androids of Tara 2_ '?" He pulled out a gray cartridge of the same shape. "I thought they cancelled this."

"It's a reproduction," said a voice. The three turned to see a boy Peirce's age approaching with a plate of hot cookies. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd avoid drooling on the custom-made sticker." The boy set the plate down on the coffee table. He wore a green baseball cap over spiky black hair along with a black long-sleeved t-shirt under a red vest. He looked at Peirce. "Friends of yours?"  
"Tagalongs," corrected Peirce. "Blade, Victor this is Ehren. He is also a student of Professor Bishop's. Ehren, I want you to meet two students of May Evergreen. Blade and Victor." The three shook hands with one another.

"So this is Professor Bishop's house?" Victor asked.

"One of them," explained Ehren.

"This house is for Professor Bishop's students to stay," said Peirce. Ehren leaned back on one of the couches and kicked his stocking feet up on the coffee table, placing the plate on his lap. "We can do whatever we want, whenever we want as long as it doesn't affect our studies and training."

"Look at all the soda!" Victor, Peirce and Ehren turned to see the refrigerator door open, obscuring most of Blade's body. "Mountain Pyre: Super Surge? I thought they stopped making this!" Blade closed the fridge door. "So you are telling me there are no curfews, no bedtimes, no grownups whatsoever, all the video games you can play, all the DVDs you can watch, four kinds of Mountain Pyre and you can do anything you want?" Blade re-entered the room with an astonished look on his face. "Victor, have we died?" he then turned to Peirce. "You have to tell me how to become a student of Bishop's,"

"It's a lot of hard work," replied Peirce. "You need to be more than a good battler. You really need to hit the books. And I don't mean skimming a chapter for thirty minutes and then spending three hours playing Command and Control. I'm talking the other way around. Being a student of Professor Bishop is a reward, a privilege, and an opportunity. Don't go to him. He will come to you."

"I'll do whatever it takes," said Blade with great enthusiasm. Victor looked at Blade, puzzled. He didn't realize how much blade strived for the high life. He wondered if it was partially because Blade felt like he didn't have enough liberty from Professor Evergreen. A creaking sound was heard in the kitchen. Peirce quickly turned his head and did something either Blade nor Victor ever saw him do. Peirce smiled.

"Siddie's back," said Ehren casually taking a bite into a cookie. A beautiful young girl around Peirce's age with short green hair and brown eyes came in through the back door beading with sweat. She wore a white tank top and tight green shorts laced with a pokéball belt and held and orange water bottle.

"Ehren, I'm back!" Siddie called. She set down her water bottle and began to remove her fingerless gloves. "You said I could have the…" Siddie stopped in her tracks as she entered the living room and saw Peirce. "Leslie!" Siddie and Peirce threw their arms tightly around each other. Victor and Blade exchanged glances.

"Leslie?" Victor whispered under his breath.

Peirce removed his sunglasses as Siddie buried her head in Peirce's shoulder. Blade immediately knew whom Siddie was by the way they hugged. By the positions of their arms and by the length of it, especially after the girl was out jogging. This wasn't a friend hug. This wasn't a brother/sister hug. Siddie was Peirce's girlfriend.


	7. Rest Stop

Chapter 7: Rest Stop

"Oh, Siddie. I missed you so much," said Peirce still holding her.

"I missed you too, Leslie," Replied Siddie, brushing her cheek against Peirce's hair. "Next time, you go on a journey, I'm coming with you."

"Geez, Siddie. I was only dropping off some parts for Kurt in Johto. I'd hardly call that a journey," Peirce chuckled as they loosened their grip and looked into each other's eyes. Peirce stroked a lock of Siddie's hair.

"I know," said Siddie grasping Peirce's hand and pressing it to her cheek. "You know how I get. It's just since I heard about what happened to Professor Bishop, I was worried that Team Gravity might come after you." Tears formed in Siddie's eyes.

"I will be honest," Peirce said wiping Siddie's tears away. "I did run into a bit of trouble with a couple of their grunts but it was nothing I couldn't handle."

"So how come you didn't tell me you'd be back today?" asked Siddie.

"I wasn't sure I'd be back today. Plus I wanted to surprise you," said Peirce. They broke their hold on each other. Blade stepped forward.

"When does Professor Bishop get out of the hospital?" he asked.

"Not for another day or so," Siddie told Blade. "We won't know for sure. The doctors want to keep an eye on him. Why do you ask?" Victor reached into his bag and took out the wine bottle and the disc. "We have these for him."

"What's the wine for?" asked Siddie.

"At first we didn't know but we later got a text from Professor Evergreen saying that Professor Bishop wanted it for his dinner with the Senator," explained Blade.

"Senator?" asked Peirce raising and eyebrow. "I don't know of any Senators coming to visit."

"Yeah," Siddie added. "And besides the only Senator the Professor knows is Senator Knight."

"That's my dad!" exclaimed Victor. "But he's meeting with the Prime Minister's cabinet."

"Maybe he misspoke," said Peirce. "He could have meant Mayor or Congressman."

"Or maybe he lied," commented Victor.

"Watch your yap, sunshine boy," snapped Peirce. Victor took an angry step forward but Blade put his hand on Victor's chest, restraining him.

"It's late," said Blade. "We've been walking for twelve hours and we are all a little tense. We should probably hit the sack."

"Alright," said Victor.

"Ehren, would you show our guests to their rooms?" asked Siddie. Ehren sighed and paused his cartoon.

"Come on," said Ehren with a less-than enthusiastic tone. The three went upstairs. Siddie then turned back to Peirce.

"Leslie, I gotta go shower," said Siddie.

"Alright. Wanna snuggle up and watch a late night movie when you get out?" asked Peirce.

"Can't," said Siddie. "I have to study." She poked Peirce's chest with her index finger. "You won't get into the academy watching ' _The Creature Shop Horror Network_ '." Peirce chuckled with a grin. They locked their lips in a long sensual kiss. As they parted, they waited until the last second to let go of each other's fingers. He was happy to be home. Siddie went up the stairs, past Blade, Victor and Ehren and into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. The three heard the sound of running water as they approached the guest room.

"We have two rooms," Ehren began. "Terrace and Minimalist. Now you two seem like good friends so sort it out amongst yourselves." Ehren started down where he came. Blade opened the left door, which led to a small, bland wooden room with a narrow bed, side table and desk.

"Unless the other guest room is a utility closet, I assume this is the minimalist themed room," said Victor. Victor opened the door to the other room. It was laced with red carpeting. The walls were the brightest white with the doorframes and window frames pained red. A bay window overlooked a garden on a balcony, beyond that, a vast vineyard. The furniture was all a light gray excluding the translucent chairs. The ceiling had a sunroof that showed the constellations in all their glory. Victor laughed out loud with joy and then immediately suppressed all expression. "We are mature men," he said. "I'm sure, there is a method we can use that will make us mutually agree who gets the terrace room…rhyme game!"

"Farfetch'd sticks?" proposed Blade.

"I don't know that one," said Victor. It has to be one we both know or else one of us can make up words until it stops where we want it.

"Good point. What about Trashcan Starship?" asked Blade.

"What are we eight? Victor rhetorically asked. "How about Ultra Ball?"

"Love it!" said Blade clapping his hands together. Blade touched his forefinger to Victor's torso. "This is for the terrace room." Blade began as he pointed to him and victor to the words.

Ultra ball Ultra ball

In a belt

Pack as many as you can pelt

If you try to catch a legendary

It will be intense as it is scary

Burn 'em

Freeze 'em

Throw the ball so you can seize 'em

One Two Three Caught!

"YES!" cried Blade, victorious. "The room is mine!" Victor shook Blade's hand.

"Congratulations," Victor said. Blade and Victor then retired to their respective rooms. "Can I at least have one of those pokémon plushie pals out of that pyramid?" called Victor. Blade chucked a stuffed Azumarill across the hall. "Thanks."

Meanwhile in the Rustboro Morgue, Bullock, Frost, Krane and Carbuncle awaited the police sketch artist to arrive. A police car pulled up to the curb and a man with a drawing pad under his arm stepped out as the vehicle pulled away. He wore a brown vest over a white button down and corduroy pants. He rustled his dark brown hair as he entered the lobby. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "A mugging victim kept making me change the eye line of his assailant." The artist wiped his glasses with the sleeve of his shirt. "Of all the people a street thug can choose to rob, he just had to chose an art professor." He extended his hand out to Professor Krane. "Lieutenant Barnaby Gently at your service." Krane reached out and shook Barnaby's hand.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Frost. "We will not hold it against you if you chose to back out."

"I will," said Bullock.

"Okay he will," corrected Frost.

"I am sure," Continued Barnaby. "I like a challenge." He sat down, crossed his legs and set his drawing pad on his knee. Frost turned to Bronzong.

"Bronzong, use extrasensory," said Frost. Bronzong closed his eyes and made a buzzing sound. Suddenly, the corpse of the grunt's chest involuntarily poked up. Barnaby's eyes rolled back into his head as he started to scribble across the pad. Thirty seconds later, Barnaby stopped scribbling and regained consciousness.

"W-what just happened?" asked Barnaby. He held his drawing pad to his face. "I drew this?" Krane and Bullock leaned over and took a look at the sketch.

"It looks like a fire escape," said Bullock.

"No," corrected Krane. "It's construction scaffolding."

"The question is, what they are building?" Bullock asked.

"It is unknown if this is Team Gravity related," commented Frost. "He could have been taking a stroll and saw an old building under maintenance."

"You're right. We need more information," said Bullock. "Do it again." Barnaby tore the drawing from his drawing pad at the spine. Frost turned to Bronzong.

"Bronzong, use extrasensory again," commanded Frost. Bronzong closed his eyes again. The corpse jolted once more, so hard this time that the stitches at the chest incision began to loosen. Barnaby frantically scribbled. Another thirty seconds passed. They looked at the new drawing. It was a smelter dumping a barrel of white dust into a furnace.

"They looked like they're melting diamonds," commented Krane.

"This might be Team Gravity related," said Bullock.

"Wait!" interjected Barnaby. "I remember reading an economics magazine, while waiting at the dentist, that there is a mass shortage of cubic zirconium. You know, synthetic diamonds. And some anonymous buyer was stockpiling the stuff.

"What would Team Gravity want with synthetic diamond?" asked Krane.

"We still need more information," said Bullock. "We need to keep trying."

"Bronzong, use extrasensory again," commanded Frost once more. For another hour, Barnaby sketched the same two images over and over again. They persevered until they realized that this was the only information they were going to retrieve. "We need to try the other corpse."

"The brain was practically mushed upon the impact of falling five-hundred feet," said Krane.

"What about the Salamence?" asked Frost.

"What _about_ the Salamence?" questioned Bullock.

"It might have seen something?" Frost Elaborated.

"Even in a pokéball, a pokémon is aware of what goes on around it," included Krane. "The lower hemisphere of a ball emulates an appropriate biome while the upper hemisphere acts as a window to the real world. It's kind of a magikarp-eye lens."

"I will have to move the salamence from the pokémon center," said Bullock.

"Alright," acknowledged Barnaby. "Can we not do this in the Morgue anymore?"

It has haunted him for ten years. The nightmares of that terrible day made him thrash in his sleep. He woke up screaming many nights, clutching his pillow and weeping. The nightmares weren't always the same but they had the same things in common. He remembered a shinning city engulfed in a configuration, the central tower wreathed in inferno as the buildings around it collapsed. He remembered the aurora that illuminated the black sky of smoke. He remembered the legendary pokémon, Rayquaaza flying perpendicular to the street he ran down as Soldiers ran past him in the opposite direction as he called out the names of his friends, May, Wally and Lucas. He didn't know what he would do or how he would live if they had died. They came to this city for paradise but all they found was hell. It was the worst day of his entire life and he had to live it every night except for the part when he was in the arms of his two best friends.

A dazed and disoriented Brendan walked across the hallway of the gym into the bathroom. He flinched as the lights flickered on. It took a few minutes for his retinas to adjust. When he looked in the mirror he felt great shame in what he had become. There was an asymmetry in his beard and his hair had grown to its potential length.

Brendan picked up a pair of scissors and snipped away at chunks of his beard. He ran the faucet at his sink. The water rose at the drain as more hair fell upon it. When his beard was short enough, he then proceeded to pick up a razor and scrape the residual hair off his visage. He scraped as hard as he could, not caring if he scraped his skin in the process. He hung his head and gripped his hair, ashamed of how he had neglected his health. Brendan was practically disgusted with how shaggy his hair had become. He would go to the barber tomorrow, but tonight, he would clean this dump.

A young Julian Bishop clutched his laser rifle anxiously as he and his platoon patrolled the beaches of the Orange Archipelago. The soldiers marched single file along the shore. They began to approach the jungle as the beach grew narrower.

Julian felt something brush his shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his boots, startled, turning to see it was only a leaf. Julian sighed in relief as a taller soldier behind him chuckled. "You're a little jumpy today, Corporal," he commented.

"S-sorry," said Julian wiping sweat from his face.

"Just don't fire like the dickens at the first sight of…"

"SCYTHER!" A scyther jumped down from the treetops with a black-armored soldier on his back. He swung his mighty claw, taking off the tall soldier's head without skipping a beat and grazing Julian's helmet. Julian swerved around and shot the scyther right in the face, knocking him on his back.

"AMBUSH!" Julian heard a soldier cry. His comrades took out their pokéballs and called their pokémon out as more scyther leapt out of the jungle. Julian pulled out his pokéball and threw it.

"Go, Vibrava!" Julian's Vibrava emerged. "Use Hyper beam now!" he barked. Vibrava fired a wide orange beam knocking back several scyther. Julian shot at an approaching scizzor with its claws dripping with blood.

The laser bolts bounced off scizzor's metal coat. All hope seemed lost for Julian until a flamethrower attack knocked the scizzor into the water. He turned to see the pokémon responsible for the attack was the arcanine of a fellow soldier.

Suddenly an explosion knocked Julian off his feet. There was a ringing in his ears as he regained his perspective of reality. He saw Vibrava glow white just before his vision began to blur.

Professor Bishop woke up screaming in his hospital bed. The nurse rushed in. "Professor Bishop, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Professor Bishop replied with his face hidden in the shadows. "It was just a bad dream."

"Do you want us to knock you out?" asked the nurse.

"No," Professor Bishop replied. "I will drift off naturally."

"As you wish, Professor." The nurse left the room. As she shut the door, Professor Bishop yanked the breathing mask off his face and sealed the knob on his oxygen tank.

"Didn't think I'd need this until I neared a hundred," he muttered to himself. Professor Bishop put his feet in the hospital's complimentary slippers. He then walked to the bin where his clothes were kept and noticed somebody dropped off his lab coat. The professor dressed and opened his window. Looking down, he saw a fire escape leading straight to the bottom.

Detective Frost rummaged through his keys standing on the porch of his home. Entering, he put his coat on the coat rack and took his shoes off. He then walked through the living room and into the kitchen to see the timer on his microwave oven blinking. He heard the Monday night stadium theme play on the TV in his den. Frost rushed to his den, only to see Professor Bishop watching a stadium battle while sipping on some hot milk. "Professor Bishop?" The Professor stayed where he was.

"Hello, Frost." He said, taking another sip of his beverage. "I hope you don't mind that I let myself in."

"Oh of course not," said Frost, sarcastically. "Feel free to break into my house and raid my fridge. How did you get in, anyway?"

"I found your hide-away key on my second guess," explained Professor Bishop. "I guessed you would hide it in your pond at first. It makes sense. You are a very open man who changes with circumstances. These are not the characteristics of a rock," he said, placing two halves of a fake rock on a small table next to the chair. Frost sat down on a couch facing at a right angle from the chair. Professor Bishop took up the remote control and switched the TV off.

"What are you doing here?" asked Frost. "I thought you weren't checking out of the hospital until tomorrow morning."

"I snuck out," said Professor Bishop.

"What?" Frost stood up.

"There is nothing against the law about leaving a hospital," defended Bishop.

"No but I can arrest you for burglary," said Frost.

"Arrest the fifty seven year-old war veteran who happens to be your friend? What a likeable person." Professor Bishop set his now half-empty glass of milk down on a coaster. "Real humanitarian of the week."

"Alright, I won't arrest you," said Frost raising his hands. He sat back down. "Why are you at my house, anyway?"

"I need to know if you have found anything from investigating the death of that grunt," elaborated Professor Bishop. Frost explained to Professor Bishop about how he used Bronzong to extract information from the grunt's dying brain and how they performed the same procedure on the pilot's salamence.

"…And then we flattened the images to the angle of a human eye."

"What did you find?" asked the professor, taking another sip of his drink.

"We don't know what the construction scaffolding is to. All we know is whatever they are building, it is big." continued Frost.

"Do you know where they are building this?" asked Bishop.

"We're sending out recon units to all possible sites," said Frost. "What do you plan to do when you check out?

"Go straight back to work," bluntly replied the Professor. "I don't care what the doctor's orders are. See unlike you, I AM stubborn like a rock."


	8. Preminition

Chapter 8: Preminition

Blade inexplicably found himself walking in a street of ashes. He looked around realized he was in a ruined city. It was snowing flakes of black ash. Blade saw three soldiers in ragged uniforms run right past him crouching. They didn't see him

At this point, Blade knew this was a dream. He looked up to see hordes of a pokémon he had never seen before patrolling the sky. He then found himself in a wrecked pokémart. The windows were boarded up and the shelves were practically empty. Peirce and Siddie were loading a shopping cart with various supplies. Ehren was looking through an interval in the boards. Peirce dropped a dozen full restores into the cart before Siddie pushed it into the warehouse. Ehren turned away from the window and cried, "We're out of time!" Peirce pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Di'andré, start the truck!" Peirce put the walkie-talkie back in his belt and pulled out a pokéball with a black upper hemisphere and a pokéball with the conventional red hemisphere. "Remember, just as we planned." Chucking them both several feet, he cried, "Go, Dusknoir and Charizard!" Charizard and Dusknoir emerged. Peirce's Dusknoir was indistinguishable but Peirce's charizard was unlike others, being black with red wings.

"Peirce never told me he had a black charizard," Blade thought to himself. Ehren took a position next to Peirce and took a pokéball of his own and threw it down.

"Go, Blastoise!" Ehren commanded as a blastoise with a greenish hue emerged. A purplish aura formed around the boards, sealing the shop's doors. The planks exploded into splinters as a humanoid pokémon floated through the doorway.

It was mostly red but had parts that were a moderate turquoise. A violet round crystal was embedded in its chest. It's arms ended at five fingered hands but the creature then whipped them into four tentacles.

Charizard blasted the thing with a Flamethrower attack but it changed shape and wrapped itself in a bubble of purple energy, not budging a millimeter upon impact. Blastoise blasted it with a Hydro pump and Dusknoir with a Night Shade. The attacks persisted for several seconds until Peirce shouted. "That's enough, let's go!" Peirce and Ehren withdrew Dusknoir and Blastoise. Steam filled the darkened room as Ehren ran into the back of the warehouse. Peirce leapt on Charizard's back.

The pokémon scanned the foggy store with a pulsating purple beam emitting from its head. He stopped scanning when he saw Peirce's Charizard charging a hyper beam right in its face. Charizard fired, disintegrating the pokémon's body. It fell over as Peirce threw an ultra ball at it and took off on Charizard, bursting through the roof of the store. The ball de-materialized the pokémon and closed.

Five seconds later, the ultra ball burst open with the pokémon fully regenerated. It angrily looked up at Peirce wondering who would dare try to capture it. What it didn't know was that Peirce was only buying himself a few seconds to get away.

The pokémon burst through the roof of the store and formed a red ball of energy in its chest. It exploded into a ribbon of red light, reminiscent of an aurora. Three more of the pokémon's kind descended to its position.

Peirce looked down to see Siddie and Ehren in the back of a moving, banged-up mail truck painted in a camouflage pattern. This was no longer an experience. Blade was now seeing the dream as a motion picture. A boy Peirce's age with darker skin and a solid blue t-shirt was driving with a heracross in the passenger seat. Blade assumed this was Di'andré.

Two of the pokémon descended after the truck while the other two flew after Peirce. Peirce made a u-turn on his charizard. Charizard shot a barrage of Flamethrower attacks, scorching the monsters. "This is for Victor, you bastards!"

"Did he just say Victor?" thought Blade. "Is Victor dead in this future? Am _I_ dead?" Charizard fired a wide Hyper Beam at the lead pokémon, disintegrating it. The crystal at the center of its chest fell to the ground.

"Gotta smash it," Peirce commented to himself. "Only real way to kill the crappers for good." Charizard grasped the other one with his feet and bit it in the neck. Charizard then hurled the creature hundreds of meters down and fired another Hyper Beam, disintegrating the second one.

Now Blade was witnessing the chase below. He noticed that at this time, Peirce was still fighting the first two pokémon. The other two were closing in on the truck. Ehren called out Blastoise. Siddie pulled out two pokéballs of her own.

"Go, Venusaur and Victreebel!" she cried. Siddie's victreebel was like any other victreebel but her venusaur was quite uncommon. Her skin was a lighter shade and the pedals on her back were a yellowish orange. "Both of you! Use your Razor Leaf attacks, now!"

"Blastoise use Hydro Pump!" added Ehren. Blastoise shot 2 streams of highly pressurized water from the 2 guns mounted on his shell, knocking the pokémon back. Venusaur and victreebel shot a cascade of leaves, slicing the creatures apart for a brief moment. They stopped for several seconds to allow their several extremities to reattach.

The pokémon extended their limbs as duplicates began to project outward. The only distinguishable differences between the duplicates and the originals were a lack of flow in the gems, a darker hue and lacking of visible eyes. Ehren turned back to Di'andré and cried, "ABDUCTORS!"

Di'andré shifted gears on the analogue stick. "Heracross, take the wheel!" he barked, squeezing beneath the seats and taking out a pokéball. Ehren turned to a plusle and minun bouncing up and down on some cushions.

"Plusle, Minun, press the pedals!" Ehren shouted. Di'andré threw his pokéball down.

"Go Wartortle," he cried. A wartortle emerged and took position next to his fully matured forme, Blastoise. Razor leaf and hydro pump attacks burst from the rear of the truck, disintegrating the abductors and giving the truck thrust. Ehren turned to Siddie.

"Siddie, maneuver Charlie Cornett Alpha," cried Ehren Ehren and Siddie whipped out two identical bracelets and pressed the patterns with their fingers. Rays of while light emitted from Venusaur and Blastoise. Ehren and Siddie flinched as their pokémon became engulfed in cocoons of indigo energy. The cocoons burst to reveal that Venusaur and Blastoise have transformed. The pedals on Venusaur's back were bigger and the stalk on her flower was taller. In addition, there was now a second flower resting on Venusaur's forehead. Blastoise's new forme was more distinguishable from from Venusaur's. His two dorsal guns had moved to his wrists and had been replaced with a gun three times the caliber.

"Venusaur, use Frenzy plant," commanded Siddie. Two foot-thick vines burst from the worn blacktop and wrapped around the duplicates.

"Wartortle, use Hydro Pump!" Di'andre ordered.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon!" barked Ehren!" Blastoise fired a funnel of white water, obliterating all the duplicates and damaging the two creaturers. Siddie made a weak smile as she began to lose her balance. Ehren laughed out loud and clapped his hands once. Di'andré made a celebratory gesture with a fist.

"Yeah, baby!" he cried. Heracross turned and mimicked Di'andré's gesture.

Siddie lost her balance, dropped to her knees and clutched her abdomen. Ehren touched her shoulder and asked, "Siddie are you alright?"

"Yeah," said Siddie standing up. "It's probably just nausea."

The truck drove on. The creatures stopped chasing. It swerved around a torn up highway, ruined by war. Blade saw something that he could not believe. The skeleton of a tail leading to a pelvis and a spine and finally a skull. It was hundreds of feet long and it lay front first, half buried in the dirt. Upon seeing it closer Blade knew exactly what this skeleton belonged to. It was the legendary pokémon, Groudon. "What could do this to Groudon?" Blade thought to himself.

Blade's dream then faded to Charizard landing and Peirce dismounting. Peirce retracted Charizard back into his ball and casually put it back into his ball, then putting back in his belt without looking at it. He walked past some trainers his age. Three were sitting in a circle, rolling dice. Another two were at a map moving figures around. One of the two was talking on an archaic telephone when he saw Peirce walk by.

"Peirce!" called the trainer as he ran over to Peirce. "We've just received word from General Tungsten. Johto's first line of defense has fallen." Peirce lowered his head in disappointment. He then turned back to the trainer.

"Thank you," Peirce said. "Is there anything else we can help the military with?" asked Peirce.

"No," the trainer replied. "But General Tungsten thanks you personally for all the help you have provided." Peirce looked the trainer in the eyes and put his hand on his shoulder.

"The thanks should go to all of us," said Peirce. "And with our combined strength, we will win this war." Blade was amazed at what a leader Peirce had become in this supposed future. Peirce continued down the hallway past a tattered flag of the Eastern Union of Democratic Republics. For a split second, the dream's scenery changed to a fully lit hallway of a doctor's office. Peirce's clothing changed to a pink polo shirt and kacky pants. His hair was shorter and wore real glasses but only for that split second. Peirce approached the infirmary. The doctor was the only adult in that compound. Siddie walked out of the infirmary with a nervous look on her face. Her hand was on her abdomen again. Peirce put his hands on Siddie's shoulders. "Siddie, are you alright?" he asked. "Ehren told me you felt ill."

"I'm fine, Leslie," assured Siddie. "Leslie, I'm pregnant." Siddie looked into Peirce's shades. "You're gonna be a dad." She laughed nervously. Peirce took off his sunglasses to show tears welling up in his eyes. The dream began to go back and fourth between the compound and the doctor's office, the young adult and the rebel.

"Siddie, I am so happy," said Peirce with a nervous chuckle.

"You're not worried?" Siddie asked.

"Siddie, I love you," said Peirce wiping his tears away. He brushed a lock of Siddie's hair. "I love you so much." Peirce got down on one knee and took Ivy's hand. "Will you marry me?"

The visions of the bunker got shorter as visions of the bunker got shorter as the visions of the doctor's office got longer. Blade knew then that some outside force was affecting the dream. Peirce and Ivy hugged each other tightly as the vision changed to an even older Peirce and Charizard pushing a little girl on a swingset.

The Dream faded to white. A female voice spoke to Blade saying, "Do not give up on the world, my child. Darkness may yet return but you must always have hope. Evil will only prevail if you let it."

Blade woke up, astonished and confused. "Was that dream of the future?" he thought to himself. "Are both futures possible? Who was the voice giving me the pep talk?" If she showed me the happy future, who or what showed me the scary, people getting killed future?" Blade got out of bed. "I know it wasn't just me. There is no cold pizza in the world that can generate a dream like that."

Blade descended from the stairs, rubbing one of his eyes to see Victor on the couch playing a video game with his feet up. "Hey, Vic," said Blade. "Whaddya playin," he asked.

"Ribos Operation," replied Victor. "You were saying a lot of good things about this game so I decided to try it out."

"But I thought you hated video games," said Blade.

"What? No!" defended Victor. "I love them. I just don't play them as often as you do. I thought I'd take a break from studying and relax my brain. Plus I was nearly impaled from one of the springs of that mattress."

"Ah," said Blade, sitting down next to Victor. The screen showed a bunch of pixelated tanks and spaceships firing at each other in the midst of burning factories. "Why don't you just use the nuke?" asked Blade.

"I beat every mission in the campaign so far with the nuke," said Victor. "I would like to win one time without using it." Peirce came down the stairs.

"Can't sleep either?" asked Peirce. "I had this weird dream where I was a member of Team Gravity in some kind of factory."

"I had a dream too," said Blade. "It's actually something I wanted to talk to you about. Peirce, is your Charizard a rare black one by any chance?" Peirce froze, flabbergasted by what he had just heard.

"How the hell could you possibly know that?" Peirce asked.

Peirce sat at the kitchen table with Blade sitting at a perpendicular side. "So I am the leader of this underground kids' corps?" he asked.

"As far as I know," Blade replied. "I am sure this is a premonition dream. I have never seen that pokémon before in my life. I didn't see it in any medium of fiction and if I imagined it, I am so selling the movie rights."  
"I have an idea," said Peirce. "I'll be right back." Peirce left the room for several seconds and returned with a laptop computer, his pokédex, some paper and some pencils. "I want you to calibrate my pokédex to sketches. Hopefully, we will get a match.

Blade sketched what he saw while Peirce took a part of his pokédex out and plugged it into a USB port of the laptop computer. "Just to warn you, Peirce, I am not the best artist you will meet in your lifetime," said Blade. "Now you should see the kind of sketches Victor does. He is a natural." Blade stopped drawing. "You know, I think you two would get along great if you just got a chance to know each other."

"Maybe," replied Peirce. "But he is intolerably paranoid about me and Professor Bishop. He is judgmental and undisciplined."

"I think you two have more in common than you think," Blade continued, erasing a badly drawn arm. "I think you two should have a battle." Peirce chuckled.

"Blade I am a pokémon champion," said Peirce. "I'll tell you what, though. If you guys get four gym badges, I'll battle you."

"You have a deal," said Blade handing the drawing to Peirce.

"This is the Pokémon you dreamed about?" asked Peirce, surprised.

"Yes," replied Blade. Peirce scanned Blade's sketch with his pokédex. The drawing wiped downward on the laptop's screen. The lines sharpened as dots appeared on certain points of the creature's body. The image then changed to a computer generated image that resembled what Blade saw.

"Deoxys. Pokémon classification to be decided," chimed Peirce's laptop in the pokédex's voice. "There are only two confirmed human encounters with this enigmatic pokémon, the Battle of Larousse city and the lesser-known Polar Incident four years prior. Little is known about this pokémon other than that its astonishing regenerative properties and its ability to project solid light energy clones."

"What is the Battle of Larousse City?" asked Blade.

"You really don't _know_?" exclaimed Peirce.

"Well I heard of it but don't know what it was exactly," Blade explained. "I always assumed it was a battle from the war."

"Okay that battle was YEARS after the war," Peirce clarified. "La Rousse City was built after the Nationalists surrendered as a beacon for a new beginning. Computer, access all articles regarding The Battle of Larousse City," commanded Peirce.

"Working," chimed the laptop. "There are thirty-seven articles regarding The Battle of Larousse City in the public encyclopedia. The Battle of Larousse City, Battle: Larousse City (Film), Parties involved in The Battle of Larousse City, Military casualties of The Battle of Larousse City, Civillian Casualties of The Battle of Larousse City, Allegories of The Battle of Larousse City in Television and Film. Poems and Novels inspired by The Battle of Larousse City, Conspiracy Theories involving The Battle of Larousse City. The Battle of Larousse City's impact on human/pokémon relation-"

"COMPUTER, DISPLAY THE FIRST ARTICLE!" snapped Peirce.

"The Battle of Larousse City was an isolated incident involving the rare and legendary pokémon, Rayquaaza and the enigmatic pokémon, Deoxys on August 29th 4001," began Peirce's laptop. "At a O' Nine Hundred hours military time, an electromagnetic pulse knocked out all power in Larousse City for thirty-five hours and forty-two mintutes. Approximately one minute after the pulse, an anomaly similar to an aurora formed above the city and Deoxys was first sighted. For the next fifteen minutes, Deoxys terrorized Larousse until the legendary pokémon, Rayquaaza entered the city and attacked Deoxys. Thirty minutes into the battle, the National Guard and Army Air Corps arrived and fired on them both. After three hours of fighting, the military retreated and regrouped for another assault. Meanwhile in a burning battle tower, a group of trainers decided to take matters into their own hands."

"Computer, list trainers involved," interrupted Peirce. Peirce's laptop stopped talking.

"Working," chimed the laptop. "List of trainers is as followed. Red Taylor, Ethan James, Brendan Maclaeod, Wally Evergreen, May Birch…"

"Professor Evergreen never told us she was in the battle," said Blade as the Laptop continued listing trainers.

"She musn't like to talk about it," Peirce said standing up and taking some bread out of the cupboard.

"And I'm not going to ask her about it," said Blade taking a glass and opening the fridge. Peirce put two pieces of bread in the toaster. "Not after her award-winning performance of narrating the tragic ballad of…" Blade paused when he realized that he was starting to talk like Victor. "Crazy, shaggy, messed-up, dirty old…Brendan." Blade poured coconut juice into his glass. "Giving up on life because his little boyfriend wouldn't marry him and live with him in Floraroma town forever where they'd churn butter and do the crossword puzzle in bed or…whatever married couples do when the honeymoon is over." Blade took a sip of his drink and started to talk in a goofy voice. "Oh Brendan. I cannot be with you. For you see, you are a crazy person who is mean to children and I am a stable person who is nice to children. So I am going to marry that nice Professor lady who is nice to children and gives suckers to her students." Peirce laughed out loud.

"You are funny," Peirce declared tilting his head down to the left. "You would've gotten along with my little brother, Ron. He did a lot of funny voices a lot like that."

"Where is your brother?" Blade asked. Peirce stayed silent for several seconds.

"Somewhere else," said Peirce. Blade knew what he meant. Peirce's toast popped up. He stood up and walked over to the cabinet. "Did anything else happen in your dream that I should know about?"

"No. Nothing." Said Blade, taking another sip of his drink. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Peirce, "Yeah, three to five years down the road, you get your girlfriend pregnant. So you better start learning to make grilled cheese and sitting through those library sing-along tapes without succumbing to the urge to slit your wrists."

Peirce scraped butter over his toast. The two stopped what they were doing when they heard the back door open. They turned to see Professor Bishop walk in. Peirce dropped his bread knife and bowed to his teacher. "Professor, I am so relieved to see that you are alright."

"Thank you, Peirce," said Professor Bishop. He turned to Blade. "I assume you are Victor."

"Oh no, I'm Blade…sir," said Blade. "Victor is-" Victor walked into the kitchen.

Hey, Blade. I need your help," said Victor. How do you overcome the-" Victor stopped as he saw Professor Bishop. "Who is this?"

"Good morning, Victor. I am Professor Bishop," he said. "I am told you have something for me."

"Uh, yes, sir," Victor replied. "I'll go get the disc."

"This disc is not important," said Professor Bishop. "I couldn't care less about Professor Evergreens petty little discoveries. The wine bottle is the more important thing."

"With all due respect…Professor," defended Victor while trying to sound respectful. "I think scientific data is more important than some fancy beverage."

"Trust me," assured the Professor. "Give me the wine and I will tell you all." Victor went upstairs and retrieved the flask from his bag and returned back downstairs into the kitchen. "Thank you," said Professor Bishop as Victor handed him the wine.

Professor Bishop laid the bottle down horizontally on a cutting board and pulled out a small steak knife. He gently made an incision along the end of the label. "The value is not in the wine," the Professor said. "The bottle is a fake." He peeled the label back. "You see, I would never let wine as good as 3912 out of arm's reach." Professor Bishop took the label and pulled out a pokéball. "Come out, Emboar." Emboar emerged from the ball and flexed his muscles. "Emboar make a small fire underneath this paper." Emboar complied and formed a fire the size of a golf ball under the label. Numbers illuminated on the plastic-lined paper. "Excellent."

"Can somebody please tell me what is going on?" exclaimed Victor.

"I suppose you deserve an explanation," said Professor Bishop, sitting down. "Several weeks ago, a group of unidentified thugs broke into the Devon Pokémon lab. They tried to hack our database but Emboar and I stopped them. The authorities just assumed it was a bunch of teenage wannabes trying to make a big score, but by the way they fought, I knew better. I believed that it was a perpetration of the evil Team Gravity. I did a maintenance check on our computer systems and noticed that they tried to hack one specific file, a file that I personally coded. It was a set of coordinates to an archaeological dig site. I anticipated the code to be a target for theft so I put a fraction of the code in a hiding place not too obvious but not too hard to figure out. I needed an excuse to put the code in transit and root out Team Gravity's spies. Then I received a phone call from Professor Evergreen, telling me that two students of hers were to deliver something to me like a couple of little mail carriers." Victor clenched his fist and held his tongue. "I asked her to include this wine bottle with the package. Team Gravity knew it contained the code and you seemed to be an easy target for them. Little did they know that a pokémon champion was tailing them." Victor swerved around and glared at Peirce.

"You knew!" Victor cried. Peirce looked back and remained calm.

"I was told to keep an eye on you," said Peirce. "Nothing more."

"And it turns out my suspicions were justified," continued Bishop. "Team Gravity is after the code."

"What's so important about the archaeological dig site?" asked Blade.

"They are of a ruined civilization that predates Pokémopolis and the Unown. There is something they know about that we don't and it is crucial in their plans," Professor Bishop said taking off his glasses. "Blade, Victor, I need your help. I know that I potentially endangered your lives, but everything I did, I did to protect this land. Its very freedom is at stake. I want you as students of mine."

Victor slapped his hand down in disgust. "Well I hate to disappoint you, _Professor_ , but you can forget it!" He said. "I for one will not listen to any more of this-"

"Victor, hold on!" Blade interrupted.

"Are you actually going to hear him out?" protested Victor. "If you want to listen to this thesbian's lies than be my guest. I'm going back to bed." Victor stormed out of his kitchen muttering to himself.

"Peirce says you are very spiritual," said Blade to Professor Bishop. "You taught Peirce how to meditate and unlock his sixth sense of pokémon. He says that you can sense Aura. If I became your student, can I unlock this?

"It will require lots of discipline," said the Professor. "If you are willing to become my student, I can teach you. Now, you cannot have two mentors and I understand you may have some loyalties to Professor Evergreen," explained Professor Bishop.

"Not really," reassured Blade. "I'm not like Victor. Professor Evergreen is nice and all but she's not supportive. She just tells me to do what I am doing but better and she never listens to me."

"I see," Professor Bishop replied. "We will discuss this further another time. I must depart. Professor Bishop stood up as Peirce bowed to him. The Professor bowed back and started back to the door from whence he came as soon as he came in.


	9. Rustboro Gym

Chapter 9: Rustboro Gym

The next morning, Victor angrily packed his bag. There was a knock on his door. "Come in," said Victor, forcing an inviting tone. Blade entered.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Packing," replied Victor. "We're getting out of this nuthouse."

"Really?" asked Blade. "I was hoping to stay awhile."

"We made the delivery. The job is done," argued Victor. "There is no point in staying any longer."

"Well, I was wanting to challenge the gym here," said Blade.

"Who's the leader?" Victor asked.

"A woman named Roxxanne," elaborated Blade. "She specializes in rock-type pokémon." Victor finished packing and turned around. He tilted his head up.

"Let's see," Victor thought out loud. "Dratini's Water Gun can be effective, as can Combusken's Double Kick and Cubone's Bone Clubs.

"And Mudkip is ideal for this gym," added Blade. "And Kirlia's Magical Leaf can also be helpful."

"Alright let's go," said Victor.

"You mean right now?" Blade asked. "We haven't had breakfast yet.

"I have cereal bars and Pop Tarts," said Victor. "If you get hungry you may have one of each." The boys walked downstairs and heard the sound of crackling bacon. They looked in the kitchen to see Ehren dipping a piece of white bread in some batter.

"Morning, guys!" Ehren called. "Sit down! Sit down!"

"Actually, we were just on our way out the door," said Victor.

"We are going to challenge the gym," added Blade.

"Well heck, I'll show you the way to the gym," cried Ehren, excitedly. "But first, please eat something," he insisted.

"That's alright," said Victor.

"Guys, I made all this Kalosian toast and bacon and Peirce and Siddie aren't even up yet. I don't want all this food to go to waste."

"I guess we could eat a little," said Blade. "The Bacon isn't from Grumpig is it?" he asked.

"No. It's unevolved livestock," assured Ehren. Blade and Victor exchanged glances and then approached the kitchen. The two ate more than they thought they would. After a big and long breakfast they headed out the door and proceeded to the gym with Ehren's guidance. "This city is very historical. You really should visit Colonial Rustboro, if you get a chance."

"Hey, Ehren," said Victor.

"Yeah?" Ehren replied.

"What's wrong with Peirce?" Victor continued. Ehren stopped and turned to the Boys.

"Listen," began Ehren. "I will not excuse Peirce's behavior but…" Ehren started walking again. Victor and Blade continued to follow. "Peirce has had a very hard life. The first half of his childhood was nice. He lived in Vendanturf with his mother, father and brother. Siddie and I were his best friends. We had many happy years together.

But then Team Gravity came. A group of radicals built from the remnants of Team Magma and Team Aqua. They pillaged and massacred the townspeople including my parents. I was fortunate to be away, visiting my aunt and uncle in Ordale but for years, I wished I had been there until I realized how lucky I was that I wasn't and now wish Peirce and Siddie to share my luck.

Peirce ran around, calling for his family when he saw Siddie being taken. He threw everything he had at them to free the girl he loved. He told Ivy to run. Peirce thought he could defeat them all but was not strong enough.

As punishment for his defiance, Team Gravity rounded up Peirce's family and executed them in front of him. They would have taken him back to their hideout to be tortured to death if the United Defense Forces did not show up.

As you may already know, the Parliament formerly declared war against Team Gravity and in six days the bastards were driven into hiding. Meanwhile a man named Professor Julian Bishop saw potential in…all of us. He made us his students and with the privilege, came gifts. Siddie received a shiny bulbasaur, Peirce received a shiny charmander, and I received a shiny squirtle. I offered to live with my aunt and uncle but they told me to pursue my studies so I lived with Pierce and Siddie in one of Professor Bishop's houses.

We trained under Bishop. He taught us to be one with our pokémon. You see this is why Peirce is so quick to defend Professor Bishop when injustice is done to his name. He sees him as his father."

"I had no idea," said Victor.

"Well good luck on your battle," said Ehren.

"Huh?" asked Blade, confused.

"We're here," explained Ehren. Blade and Victor were surprised upon finding they arrived at the gym so quickly. Ehren held the door open for the two.

They entered the gym. The double doors closed behind them. The gym was dark, like Petalburg Gym but it was clean, or at least clean as a gym full of rocks could get. "Two new victims, I see," boomed a female voice. From out of the shadows, a lady dressed as a schoolteacher descended from a stone staircase.

"Hello there, ma'am," said Victor waving.

"Victor, let me handle this," said Blade. "My name is Blade from Littleroot town! I challenge you to a battle!" Victor noticed Blade liked to emulate Red. He understood why. Red is the greatest trainer of all time. He preferred Lucas.

"And who is your baby-faced friend?" asked the Lady. "You have a name, honey?" Victor blushed and stood speechless. He shook his head then stepped forward, clenching his fist and taking a fighting stance.

"Well, my name is Victor Alan Knight from Littleroot town and I challenge you to a battle too!"

"And I am Roxxanne, leader of this gym. Now that introductions are over, let us commence. Since I assume you two are acquainted, the battle will be two on two. Each of you will use two and I will use four."

"Sounds fair to me!" said Blade as he and Victor took out their pokéballs.

"GO, CUBONE!" cried Victor, throwing his ball. Cubone emerged from the ball and took a fighting stance.

"Two bone clubs?" Roxxanne asked herself.

"GO GROWLITHE!" yelled Blade.

"Growlithe?" questioned Victor. Growlithe emerged from his ball. Victor wasn't skeptical of Blade's plan, just surprised. Roxanne held up 2 pokéballs.

"I choose Armaldo and Cradily!" declared Roxxanne, tossing the balls across the room to her side of the court. The balls opened and a cradily and an armaldo emerged. A bell rang, indicating the battle had begun.

"Cubone, jump on Growlithe's back!" commanded Victor.

"Growlithe, use quick attack!" added Blade. Cubone jumped on Growlithe as Growlithe began to dash at an incredible speed across the rocky floor.

"Cradily, use Vine Whip with a spread of Razor Leaf! Armaldo, use Ancientpower! Barked Roxanne. Two asparagus colored vines rocketed from Cradily's roots as countless leaves shot from her stamen. Growlithe skidded from side to side as the branches tore at the ground. The leaves singed on the touch of Growlithe's coat, his mane protecting Cubone's vulnerable epidermis. Armaldo stomped, sending a barrage of sharp stones at the two. Cubone swatted half the stones aside while Growlithe took out the other half with his flamethrower attack. Growlithe lost speed but persevered. "Armaldo, use Ancientpower again! Cradily use Solarbeam!" Cradily spread her pedals, photosynthesizing the light from the ceiling lights and the sunlight beckoning in through the sunroof and windows. Armaldo stomped again sending more stones at Growlithe.

"Growlithe, jump!" commanded Blade. Growlithe leapt into the air. Aim Flamethrower at the ground!" Growlithe shot a stream of fire at the ground, creating an ocean of flames.

"Cubone, use Bone Club!" Cubone jumped off Growlithe's back and smashed his left bone club against Armaldo's skull. Armaldo became dizzy and toppled over, crushing Cradily. Growlithe and Cubone landed on their feet. Cradily fired the solarbeam from her ovule. Cubone dove out of the way as the beam just grazed his hide. Cubone skidded into the dirt. Though he struggled, he managed to get on his feet. The bell rang again as Roxxane pulled out Armaldo's pokéball and retracted her.

"Not bad," complimented Roxanne. "I was betting myself that you would defeat me on the seventh attempt, but with such ingenuity, you may yet defeat me on the third." She took out another pokéball and threw it across the court. "Go, Graveler!" Graveler emerged from her ball and roared her name. "Cradily, use ingrain! Graveler, Rollout, go!" Cradily expanded her roots and implanted them in the ground. Cradily glowed as energy coursed through her. Graveler curled up into a ball and rolled across the court at the two little monsters.

"Flamethrower!" commanded Blade. Growlithe lunged backwards and jerked forward. A funnel of crimson flames exploded from between his jaws. While the stream of the fire barely harmed the behemoth, it did slow her to the point where she was rolling in place. The fire that flew past Graveler, singed Cradily's roots. Cradily shrieked in pain and made a wilting gesture. She fell over as the bell rang a third time.

"Cradily, return!" cried Roxxanne, pulling out Cradily's pokéball. Growlithe's flamethrower made Graveler roll in place. "Graveler, use dig!" she shouter. It was no use. Graveler could not hear her partner's roar over the roar of the flames.

"Cubone, jump on Graveler and run forward! Then use focus energy!" called Victor. Cubone once again leapt into the air. He landed on a still rolling Graveler, running across his body. As he ran, orange energy pulsated through him. Growlithe's fire created an orange ring around Graveler's body. He was searing hot. Victor knew that Blade's Growlithe couldn't take much more but he had to wait until the last possible second. This had to work. Growlithe's flamethrower began to weaken as Graveler regained momentum. "NOW!" Barked Victor. Cubone jumped into the air again and pooled all of his energy into his right bone club. It glowed a bright orange as Cubone fell towards Graveler and struck the living boulder right on top of his head, causing a ring of bright orange energy to ripple down her body followed by a web of fissures. Graveler's epidermis broke away revealing a smoother and more refined. She teetered on her left foot before toppling over.

The bell rang again as Roxanne, without a word, retracted Graveler back into her ball, while Blade and Victor high-fived one another. "Alright," grunted Roxxane, taking out a pokéball with a back upper hemisphere with yellow stripes. "You may have been able to take down my Graveler, but let me see how your seeing-eye animals fare against Probopass!" Roxanne threw the ball across the room. Probopass emerged. "Use stone edge!" Probopass' eyes glowed as countless stone pillars burst from the ground, hurling Growlithe against the wall. Cubone jumped on one of the pillars and leapt across them in an attempt to get close enough to hit Probopass, but one pillar was quicker than Cubone thought and he fell on top of Growlithe. The bell rang twice. Blade and Victor thought hard of what pokémon to use next. Blade considered Kirlia but but knew that she couldn't take a stone edge attack. Victor considered Metang but with Probopass' weight, a telekinetic attack may be futile, but then he had an idea. He pulled out his dive ball.

"Go, Dratini!" he cried, throwing the ball. Dratini emerged.

"Go Mudkip!" ordered Blade. Mudkip emerged from his ball. They stood battle ready as their partners cried in unison.

"Use Water Gun!" Mudkip and Dratini leapt above the pillars and fired spreads of water projectiles at Probopass. The impacts sent dust particles upward, creating a small cloud. As the dust cleared, the three trainers saw that Probopass' base was now stuck in a puddle of mud. She struggled, jerking back and fourth. Mudkip suddenly began to glow. The glow became brighter and brighter until he became a bright white silhouette. He began to stand on his hind legs as he grew in stature. The white light faded, showing that Mudkip had doubled in size, had a lighter shade of skin and his fins were wider. It's one tail had become two and the fin on top of his head was harder and had a darker color with a more intimidating shape to it. In addition, three whiskers on his cheeks had become one and his white underbelly had become and orange sac.

"Mudkip," said Blade. "You've evolved into Marshtomp."

"Then let's finish this!" cried Victor. "Dratini, wrap yourself around Probopass' eyes!" Dratini leapt at Probopass.

"Probopass, use Ancientpower!" Ordered Roxanne. Sharp stones shot from the rocky surface and rocketed towards the blue dragon.

"Mud-I mean Marshtomp, use Mud Shot!" Blade commanded. The Mud swatted the stones aside as Dratini landed on Probopass, wrapping his body around her head, obscuring her vision. "Now use water gun!" Marshtomp lunged back and fired a water projectile the size of avolleyball out of his mouth, knocking Probopass over.

"Dratini!" cried Victor. "Finish her off with Dragon Rage!" Dratini whipped his body back around and flew up in the air. He shot an vermilion fireball at Probopass. It separated into four smaller fireballs that exploded in Probopass' proximity. The bell rang as Blade and Victor cheered with triumph. Roxanne retracted Probopass and clapped her hands. "Well done, boys," she congratulated, taking out two medals. "As proof of your perseverance, ingenuity and respect for your pokémon, I hereby reward you with the Stone Badge." Roxanne handed the badges to Victor and Blade. The boys expressed great joy, holding their hard work in their hands. Victor bowed to Roxanne.

"Thank you so much," he said.

"WE DID IT!" cried Blade as the two exited from the building. The two walked for a few blocks and then stopped dead in their tracks when they heard a deafening crack echo across the city. They turned their heads to see a pillar of black smoke billowing from the distance. They ran down the street and noticed other people were either walking or running in the same direction they were. They stopped at a crowd of people who could see the source of the smoke. It was the Devon Headquarters. They looked to see Detective Frost. Seeing him the first time, they only assumed he was a detective by his trench coat and the authority he exerted towards the crowd.

"Excuse me," said Victor. "Are you a policeman?"

"Stay back," said Detective Frost, turning to the two boys. He then turned back towards the crowd as a couple of officers directed it back.

"We can help!" assured Blade.

"Listen," said Frost, turning back to them. "I can't be…" suddenly a man in a black p coat and a wool cap pushed past the three.

"He was sure in a hurry to get out of here," commented Blade.

"Hey, you! HALT!" Frost snapped as he started as the suspicious figure. Blade and Victor darted behind him. They ran behind Frost through an acre of tall grass and past an orchard of trees towards the mountain range.

"So what was that explosion about?" called Blade.

"I told you to stay back!" said Frost, slowing to a stop and turning to the two. " I can't be responsible for your safety."

"Fine," said Victor. "But the more you protest our involvement, the further your prep gets away." Victor crossed his arms.

"He's got you there," added Blade.

"Alright," Frost said, gritting his teeth. "You can help," the detective continued to run. "If you can keep up with me!"

"Hey, wait up!" called Blade. The three ran for another fifteen minutes until they saw the culprit run into a cave on the mountain's cliffside.

"He is trapped," said Frost. "That cavern is blocked off by rocks. I am calling for backup." Frost pulled out his pokénav. "This is Frost. I need a unit out at route 116." Frost put his pokénav away and leapt off a ledge into a grassy patch below.

"Where are you going?" asked Victor.

"While he may be trapped, he will try to escape the way he came. I need to corner him and arrest him." Frost pulled out a pokéball and tossed it to the ground. "Breloom, come out." A Breloom emerged and yawned as he opened his eyes and arms. Blade and Victor opened two of their pokéballs and tossed them to the ground. Kirlia and Combusken emerged from their balls and took fighting stances. The two boys ran after Detective Frost with their trusty pokémon trotting behind. When they entered the cave, they reached into their bags for their flashlights but realized that the cavern was actually very well lit due to artificial lighting system used for tourism. The cave's walls were a very greenish color. Blade and Victor slowed to gaze upon the scenery in amazement.

"Why are the walls green?" asked Blade.

"This tunnel used to be an old copper mine," explained Victor. "But when the Hybrid Wars happened, the mining company packed up and left. They never came back and the copper eventually oxidized thus turning green. Now it's preserved and the mine was turned into a passageway from Rustboro to Vendanturf." Victor stopped talking as swarms of whismur scampered past the two. Victor nervously liftred his foot to let more whismur come through. They scattered as they exited the cavern. "Those whismur were running away from something," he said.

"Let's go!" rasped Blade. They ran down the tunnel until they saw Frost and the criminal standing off.

"Breloom, use Bullet Seed!" ordered Frost.

"Crawdaunt, block with Crabhammer," the perp commanded. Breloom spat a barrage of glowing pellets at the culprit's crawdaunt. Crawdaunt deflected them with his right claw. He shrieked as his claw smoked from the impact of the pods. He and his human partner were now backed against a gargantuan boulder.

"It's over," declared Frost. "Give yourself up!"

"That's right, buddy," said Blade. "We outnumber you three to one!"

"Not for long," the culprit remarked. "Crawdaunt, use rock smash!" Crawdaunt's claw glowed white as he swung it back, impacting the large rock.

"Why isn't the boulder breaking?" asked Blade.

"That's not a boulder," said Frost. The rock began to roll horizontally to the left as the crook ducked and rolled between the rock and the tunnel wall. A three-fingered arm extended from the body. Two eyes opened followed by a mouth. Pieces of rock from the boulder fell away, showing a smoother skin of stone. As more pieces fell away, the creature's epidermis revealed to be of many segments. The rest of the cocoon of igneous rock broke away.

"It's a Golem!" cried Victor. The massive behemoth looked down and saw the three trainers and their pokémon. Angered at his rude awakening he charged. "RUN!" Blade, Victor and Frost dashed back the way they came.

"Kirlia, use teleport!" screamed Blade. Blade, Victor Frost, Kirlia, Combusken and Breloom faded into vertical rays of spectral light. Their protons re-assembled as Golem jumped out of the tunnel's entrance, sending several stones flying. The ground shook as his feet hit the ground. "Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!" he barked

"Cumbusken, Double Kick!" Victor ordered. Combusken jumped in the air, flying at Golem. Golem ducked to the left and swatted Combusken aside like an insect.

"Breloom, use Sky Uppercut!" commanded Frost. Kirlia shot a barrage of glowing leaves at Golem. Golem only flinched as the leaves disintegrated upon impacting his hide. Breloom uppercutted Golem, flying into the air and doing a few somersaults. "Now use High Jump Kick!" called Frost. Breloom sped back down towards Golem at an acute angle but then Golem caught Breloom by the leg and repeatedly slammed him against the grass. What Golem forgot about was Combusken thus he did not react in time as Combusken's foot came flying at him. The impact made Golem drop Breloom and lose balance. Combusken repeatedly stomped against golem, kicking off his hide and stomping back down foot over foot as Golem teetered and stumbled backwards, fruitlessly trying to regain balance of his large round body.

"Victor, call out your Metang!" cried Blade.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Victor asked, taking Metang's ball out of his belt.

"Yeah," Blade said. Victor threw Metang's ball and Metang emerged.

"Use confusion!" The two boys said in unison. Kirlia and Metang's eyes glowed as Golem lifted off the ground. They used all their focus, struggling to keep Golem afloat Combusken jumped off of Golem and made two frontward somersaults with one leg out, creating a few flares and making one final strike against Golem, driving him into the ground. Golem was half-buried in topsoil now. Victor pulled out a pokéball and threw it at the half-conscious Golem. The capsule clicked open, de-materializing the rocky animal and pulling his electrons in. The pokéball closed as it fell into the crater that Golem created. It rolled further into the crater, red over white as the lens blinked. After a few seconds that seemed like minutes, the ball clicked.

"Alright!" cried Victor, jumping for joy and running for his prize. Combusken helped Breloom to his feet. They made a firm handshake as Kirlia caught up with them. A police car pulled up to the six as an officer stepped out.

"Stay here," said Frost, pointing to Blade and Victor.

Frost walked over to the officer as Blade helped Victor out of the crater. Victor ran in place in excitement as he held Golem's ball to his chest. Frost returned with the officer.

"You need to come with us," said the officer.

"Are we in trouble?" Victor asked Frost.

"I don't think so," said Frost. "We just need to debrief you two on what happened."

"Who was that Man?" asked Blade.

"We know as much as you do," the officer said as they walked to the car.

"I caught a golem." Victor said, raising his fists above his head and cried to the heavens. "I GOT A GOLEM!"


	10. The Package

Chapter 10: The Package

Brendan was on his knees in some old clothes scrubbing the gym floor, his hands and forearms in rubber gloves, rubbing ammonia into the wooden planks. His eyes were baggy from sleeplessness and his skin was in a membrane of sweat. A humanoid male robot with rubber skin and human clothes approached Brendan.

"Mr. MacLeod, there is a call for you from…" the bot tilted its head as a clicking was heard for several seconds. "Wally." Brendan put his rag in his bucket and started for his telescreen. He picked up the phone as Wally's face appeared on the screen. Wally had pale skin and lime green hair with matching eyes. He wore a purple nehru jacket and a white cape.

"Hey Brendan," said Wally as he awkwardly waved into the camera. "Why are you wearing that old sweatshirt?" he asked.

"I'm just giving the gym a long overdue cleaning. What do you want, Wally" asked Brendan.

"On behalf of the Hoenn Pokémon league, you are requested to attend the christening of the United Defense Forces' new battleship, The Horizon," said Wally. "Now I know you're going to refuse but I still have to-"

"I'll be there ," said Brendan. Wally was shocked at the response.

"Uhhhh…okay," Wally said. "It's on the eighth at four in the afternoon. Slateport City. Uhhh…see you there." The call ended as the telescreen went back to the menu.

Blade and Victor sat in the lobby of the Rustboro Police Department headquarters, playing a game of rock paper scissors.

"Scissors beats paper," said Victor.

"How do you keep doing that?" Blade asked. Deputy Carbuncle approached the two.

"Mr. Knight? Mr. Uhhh…Blade?" he asked.

"That's us," said Blade

"Would you come with me?" asked the Deputy. Blade and Victor got out of their seats and followed Carbuncle through the lobby, past the reception desk, down a hallway into his office. In his office, the two boys sat opposite Deputy Carbuncle as he sat at his desk with Detective Frost standing beside him. "The actions you took today showed great bravery and have greatly invigorated my faith in this generation."

"I don't see why," said Blade. "The guy got away."

"Why did he blow up the Devon corporation," asked Victor.

"We have security footage of the culprit and his crawdaunt killing two Devon employees and hacking the pokémon lab's supercomputer," explaned Carbuncle.

"We aren't sure why yet. Whatever he did, he erased all record of the computer being accessed in that time frame," added Detective Frost

"Team Gravity now has top secret information and we don't even now what it is," said Carbuncle as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his left hand. The phone rang. Carbuncle quickly put his glasses back on and lifted the phone off the cradle. "Deputy's office. This is Carbuncle." Blade and victor heard the other voice on the speaker. "Send them in." The door opened as Professor Bishop and Peirce stepped in. "Gentlemen, this is Professor Bishop and his student, Leslie." Victor giggled under his breath, hearing Peirce's real name again.

"Thank you, deputy but I am already acquainted with Blade and Victor," said Peirce. Professor Bishop extended his hand toward Victor.

"It is nice to meet you," said the Professor said, pretending to have never bet the two boys. Victor would have exposed Professor Bishop's duplicity to Carbuncle, him having escaped the hospital but he feared facing the wrath of Peirce.

"Nice to meet you too, Professor," said Victor, shaking the professor's hand.

"Peirce filled me in on recent events," said the Professor. "I'm glad you're alright, Detective." Detective Frost nodded.

"Thank you, Professor," said Detective Frost. "I already called the department in Vendanturf and told them what to look out for," said Frost.

"There's still a matter of security," said Professor Bishop. "There's some information I need delivered to Captain Stern in Slateport City."

"Why not just email it?" asked Blade.

"Team Gravity can hack the server," said the Professor. "This is something they CANNOT find out about."

"Well I can't go. I have a city to protect," Carbuncle said. "Plus I don't even know what the information _is_."

"I'll go," said Peirce.

"No. I need you for an assignment," said Professor Bishop, turning to his student.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Frost.

"Well delivery boys are easy pickings," Professor Bishop said. "They usually only have two pokémon with them at a time. Rangers are known to carry more but I don't trust them with a job like this. They ask too many questions and their by the book behavior gets them killed too often." Professor Bishop then turned to Blade and Victor. "Blade, Victor, congratulations. You two are about to embark on your first journeys as pokémon trainers."

"What?" questioned Victor.

"I need you two to deliver a package to Captain Stern. The package will contain parts that are needed for Captain Stern's new submersible but it will also contain the previously mentioned information enclosed in a slide of siliconite data film," elaborated the professor.

"Professor, they'd be nowhere near skilled enough to protect the info if they were to be attacked," said Peirce.

"They won't _be_ attacked," replied Professor Bishop. "Team Gravity would never expect us to give something this vital to two new trainers."

"So are you going to send out a decoy?" asked Carbuncle.

"No. Decoys are to obvious. They're going to know something is up," said Professor Bishop. "No. I want it to look like we're taking a step back while at the same time not showing enough weakness to provoke another attack."

"I'm up to it," said Blade.

"What about Professor Evergreen?" asked Victor. "Shouldn't we tell her we're starting our journeys early?"

"Professor Evergreen is no longer your mentor. You are _my_ students now," proclaimed the Professor. Victor didn't know what to say at this point. How could he refuse? Peirce said it was an honor to be his student and it's something Blade really wanted. He didn't want to embarrass his friend again thus he said nothing.

"Thank you, Professor," said Blade standing up and bowing. Victor stood up and followed Blade out the door. Oustide, several blocks away, Victor kicked a stone against a trash bin.

"This is an outrage!" exclaimed Victor. "Professor Evergreen has always been there for us!"

"You mean she's always been there for _you_ ," said Blade.

"Don't be like that," said Victor. "She cares about you." Blade turned around to face Victor.

"We're never going to get ahead unless we're students of Professor Bishop!" cried Blade.

"Being a pokémon trainer isn't always about getting ahead!" argued Victor.

"Do you want to be a pokémon master or not?" Blade asked.

"Of course I do!" exclaimed Victor. "But I want to earn it!"

"We _are_ earing it," said Blade. "Professor Bishop sees potential in _both_ of us. He commended you for your bravery even after you badmouthed him and I'm not gonna let you throw away your future out of loyalty to Evergreen!" Blade turned around and started walking again. Victor followed behind.

"Wait!" a voice called. Blade and Victor turned around to see a young man in a white lab coat with a metal box under his arm calling after them as he ran. "Wait." The man stopped as he gasped for breath. "The Professor has instructed you to take the boat of his friend Mr. Briney to Slateport and has provided you with two passes." The man in the lab coat took two slips of cardboard from underneath his arm and handed them to the two boys. "And as new students of Professor Bishop, you are now entitled to these." He took the metal box out from beneath his arm and pushed a button on the side, opening the four triangular hatches on the lid. Blade and Victor looked in to see three black pokéballs. Victor took out his pokédex and scanned the capsule on the left. An image of a tepig appeared on the small screen.

"The fire type, Tepig," chimed the pokédex. Victor scanned the pokéball on the right next. A picture of an oshawott displayed on the screen. "The water type, Oshawott." Victor felt an emotional spike, much like the one when he picked Torchic. He then proceeded to scan the ball in the middle. A picture of a snivy displayed on the screen. "The grass type, Snivy." Blade always wanted a snivy and thought he would never have a chance at one. Without hesitating, he snatched up the middle pokéball. Victor hesitated reaching for the box. He felt like he was kicking Professor Evergreen in the gut, accepting Professor Bishop's gift. He then remembered the emotional spike he felt when he reached for Oshawott's pokéball. Plus he still needed a water type. He took up Oshawott's ball and clicked the button, expanding it as Blade did the same with Snivy's ball. They opened their pokéballs and Snivy and Oshawott emerged. The two chirped their names and turned to their new partners. Blade and Victor almost immediately noticed that Snivy and Oshawott were colored differently. Snivy was more of a cerulean color than his usual green and while Oshawotts were usually a teal color, Victor's was a darker shade of blue.

"They're shinies," said Victor.

"Just like Peirce, Siddie and Ehren," said Blade

"How do you know that?" asked Victor. Blade turned to him.

"I'll tell you later," Blade said as he retracted Snivy into his ball. The man in the white lab coat bowed to Blade and Victor.

"May you have a safe journey," said the man. He closed the box and put it back under his arm. Blade continued towards Route 103. Victor retracted Oshawott and followed Blade as the man started back towards the Devvon corporation.

Professor Bishop and Peirce walked out of Deputy Carbuncle's office and down the hallway. "I should go with them, Professor," said Peirce. "They are inexperienced."

"Blade and Victor are the last trainers Team Gravity would expect to have the information," replied Professor Bishop. "Besides, the more trainers there are, the more attention this mission will draw. As I mentioned before, I need you for another task. Reports indicate that there is a Team Gravity Base in Mt. Chimney. They're building something there, something very important to their operation. I want you to scout their base and report what they're building to me." Peirce looked down and rubbed the back of his head.

"I really think Ehren would be better suited for that task based on my behavior when fighting Team Gravity," Peirce Said.

"But I'm asking you," said Professor Bishop.

"I understand," said Peirce. "I will leave at once."

Blade's snivy knocked back another trainer's zigzagoon with his vine whip attack. The zigzagoon skidded into the grass, knocked out cold.

"Zigzagoon, return!" cried the trainer pulling out Zigzagoon's pokéball. He squeezed the two hemispheres, retracting Zigzagoon's electrons into the ball. "You deserve a good long rest." He looked to Blade. "Thanks for the battle!" The trainer ran off.

"You battled well," said Victor. "But remember, we have a job to do."

"We're supposed to be trainers, Vic," said Blade. "What kind of trainer _avoids_ a battle?"

"Well we are going to need more experience in case we do bump into our friends from Team Gravity," Victor said. I think I see Mr. Briney's house in the distance. I think we'll be safe one we're on water." The two started for the house. They walked for fifteen minutes down the dirt road until they came to a jetty with a boat anchored at it. The two boys neared Mr. Briney's house as the planks creaked under their sneakers. Blade and Victor stopped at the front door and awkwardly stood there, still swinging their arms. After several seconds of exchanging glances and hand gestures, Blade finally knocked on the front door. Thirty seconds passed. No answer. Victor rapped on the door harder. Another forty-five seconds passed and still no answer.

"Maybe he's in the boat," said Blade.

"Or he went into town," added Victor. A synthesized hum echoed from the boat. "Was that a Super Dream Machine?"

"It's an Ultra 64, Vic," corrected Blade. "SDM sounds more tinny." He walked towards the boat.

"Wait a minute, Mr. Briney's an old guy, right?" asked Victor. "How many old guys play video games…other than my granddad?" Blade took several steps back and made a running stance. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Showing myself in," Blade said.

"WHAT?" shrieked Victor. "You can't just…BARGE IN on strangers!" Blade ran across the jetty and leapt over the water and somersaulted across the deck. He stood up and looked at Victor.

"You think Trainer Red waited on others?" asked Blade.

"But we-you can't-there are-" stuttered Victor groaned and jumped on the boat after Blade. Blade and Victor saw a staircase descending into the boat. Blade started down the stairs and Victor reluctantly followed behind.

"Hello?" called Blade. "Anybody home?" Before they knew it, the two were staring down the barrel of a laser rifle. A black-haired girl around their age clutched the rifle tightly.

"What the hell are you two doing on my boat?" the girl snapped. "Peecko!" a pelliper flew in and flapped her wings, sending a gust of wind. Blade and Victor fell forward fell forward, landing on their hands and knees. The girl was now standing over them still pointing the gun at their faces.

"Are you really going to shoot us?" asked Blade.

"Reginald Bernson says I have the right to!" said the girl.

"GOVERNOR BERNSON IS A-" Victor stopped when the girl thrust the laser gun into Victor's face, making the oscillator rattle.

"Okay. Okay. There's no need to get aggressive you're the one holding the weapon," said Blade.

"Yeah, Blade. Trainer Red would definitely wuss out when at the wrong end of a ray gun," mocked Victor.

"SHUT UP!" Blade snapped.

"Listen, we are very sorry for intruding but we're not criminals," said Victor.

"How do I know you're not going through some kind of Team Gravity initiation?" asked the girl.

"Please. We are pokémon trainers, students of Professor Everg- of Professor Bishop," explained Victor. "We thought this was Mr. Briney's boat."

"This _was_ Seamus Briney's boat. He was my grandfather. It's now mine," the girl explained.

"I'm deeply sorry for your loss," said Victor.

"Sure you are," said the girl.

"Look we have passes that prove we're telling the truth," Victor said, reaching for his pocket. The girl thrust the muzzle of the ray gun a second time. "You know the safety is on, right?"

"I'm not falling for that!" the girl snapped. "Reach for your pass with your other hand!" Victor took the ticket out of his pocket and handed it to the girl. The girl examined the slip of cardboard with her ray gun still aimed between Victor's eyes. "Alright, we cast off at once." The girl hoisted the laser rifle over her shoulder and extended her hand. Victor grabbed the girl's hand and she pulled Victor up as Blade climbed to his feet. "Do you have any luggage? Oh wait, you're pokémon trainers. Of course you don't. My name's Autumn by the way." Blade brushed some dust off his pants as Autumn put the ray gun back on her gun rack. "Sorry about that. I'm a bit jumpy after what I heard happened in Rustboro. I heard the explosion from here."

"You're lucky," said Victor. Try hearing it less than a kilometer away. Autumn giggled.

"Come on. I'll show you two to your bunks," said Autumn.

"Alright," Victor said. They started for the passenger bunk. "But the safety _was_ on."

Victor inexplicably found himself at Slateport City. He remembered waking up but not in the bunk he retired to. Upon seeing newer buildings in the skyline and finding himself in clothes he's never seen before, he realized he was dreaming again.

He turned to the left to see Blade, Peirce, Siddie and Ehren walking beside him. Ehren was holding a wreath of flowers with letters attached to it. Looking onward, Victor saw a memorial. It was a marble wall in a semicircle around a pewter monument. What was this memorial to? It reminded him of the Great Pokémon War Memorial in Saffron City but that one had a wall that stretched almost endlessly.

Everybody stopped. Victor stopped too but against his own will. The five looked up to see an aurora in the sky. How was this possible? It was broad daylight and they were nowhere near any magnetic pole. Victor then remembered reading about this happening before. It wasn't good.

Swarms of creatures descended from the sky. They were eight-foot humanoids with red and blue skin. They charged orbs of energy with their tentacles and flung them at the buildings below.

Victor's four friends pulled pokéballs out of their belts and threw them down. The four pokémon that emerged were as followed. Peirce's Dusnkoir, Blade's Arcanine, Siddie's Mightyena and Ehren's Regirock. How and when did Ehren catch a Regirock?

Three of the creatures approached and began projecting duplicates. Victor reached for one of his pokéballs but since this was a nightmare, his body could only move at a fraction of its normal speed. An energy blast disintegrated Victor's arm.

Two of the duplicates grabbed Victor by his torso and legs. Victor opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. He looked onward to see desperate friends crying out attacks. Their pokémon tried to save him but more duplicates jumped in the way as fodder.

The two duplicates that had a hold of Victor tugged and pulled at him like two children fighting over a rag doll. Victor felt a twisting sensation at his midsection. His skin burned as his vertebrae began to crunch until he felt a great ripping.

Victor exploded awake. He wanted to scream so badly but was in such shock, he couldn't do so. He had fallen asleep on his arm. It was so numb it was as if it weren't there at all.

Feeling a shift in his gut, Victor stumbled out of his rack and ran towards the bathroom. As he ran, blood rushed back into his arm, making it hurt like it was being pierced by a thousand cold needles. Victor dropped to his knees over the toilet and upchucked his breakfast before uttering an expletive in a raspy voice. He brushed his teeth and gargled some mouthwash and then went to the upper deck.

Victor perched himself on the rail and looked out over the vast ocean. The moonlight glittered across the black surface. Blade stepped out and perched over the rail to Victor's left.

"Had a rough Nightmare?" asked Blade.

"Very," Victor replied. "Our teen prodigy friends were in it and it got me thinking on our little conversation back at Rustboro. How do you know that Peirce and his gang have shinies?"

"You're going to laugh when you hear this," said Blade.

"After the Nightmare I had, nothing can make me laugh," said Victor.

"I had a premonition dream, Vic," said Blade. "I saw the end…of everything. The world was in ruins. Peirce, Ehren and Siddie had shiny starters in it. I thought it was just my sick imagination but when we got our pokémon from Professor Bishop and they were shiny, it all made sense."

"Tell me," Victor said. "Did your dream have a pokémon called…Deoxys?" Blade turned his head sharply.

"Yes. They destroyed everything. Groudon was dead. You…er…ah…You-you," Blade hesitated. "You knew Deoxys was in my dream. How?"

"My nightmare had Deoxys too. There were thousands of them. They killed so many people. I…I saw someone get torn in half," explained Victor.

"We need to tell Professor Bishop," said Blade. "If we both dream of the same future, he'll have to listen to us."

"What can he do?" asked Victor. "The Deoxys hate us for some reason. We need to find out why."

"Maybe. It could have been we already did," Blade said. "That's the scary part. Anyway, I gotta hit the hay or the only battles I'll be having tomorrow will be with the sandman." Blade went back inside as Victor continued looking towards the horizon. The waves grew more intense. He heard the singing of wailord in the distance. Autumn came up and perched herself on the rail to the right of Victor.

"Hi," said Autumn.

"Hey," Victor replied. "Shoudn't you be steering the boat?"

"I've got her on cruise control," Autumn replied. She looked at the water. "I am so tempted to just jump in the ocean and take an early morning swim."

"I hope you're joking cause the tentacool might pull you under," quipped Victor.

"Oh yeah," giggled Autumn. "Why _are_ there so many tentacool in Hoenn?" she asked. "It must be something we're putting in the water that makes them breed like there's no tomorrow."

"Well most tentacool in this region are actually clones," said Victor.

"Get out," said Autumn.

"Yeah, they're clones," repeated Victor. "See during the war when Hoenn was being invaded, the Nationalists were desperate to beat back the Eastern Union so they decided to clone pokémon and since tentacool are the easiest to clone, with their bodies mostly made of water and their organs mostly bladders, they mass produced them. Of course they borrowed DNA from other pokémon and even humans so a lot of them don't ever evolve."

"Is that why all those Tentacool attacked Porta Vista?" asked Autumn.

"No that was an unrelated incident," Victor said.

"So what's the situation with Blade?" Autumn asked.

"I don't know," replied Victor. "Sometimes I don't get Blade. Why, you like him?"

"No. No it's not like that. But you said it was his idea to board my boat, right? What was up with that?" Autumn asked.

"Blade's…very ambitious. He wants to get ahead in the world," said Victor. "When we were younger we always pretended to be Red or Ethan on one of their adventures. He thinks by emulating them he will become a master."

"But isn't that what _you_ want? To become a master?" asked Autumn.

"Yeah but that's what all trainers dream to be," Victor replied. "I know I could do it, if I worked hard enough but I don't know. Maybe something else will come along. Maybe I'll discover a talent I never knew I had. What do you wanna do, Autumn?"

"Well I know I don't wanna be a pokémon master," said Autumn. "The thing is that there is still a lot of the planet left to explore." Autumn chuckled to herself. "I wanna be a pioneer."

"What's stopping you?" asked Victor.

"I don't know," Autumn said. "I got this feeling that there's something left I have to do here. Kinda like you. Something else might come up." Autumn's pokénav buzzed. She took it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. "I gotta get back to the control deck or we're gonna veer off course. Keep calm and dream on," Autumn patted Victor on the shoulder. Victor blushed a little as she went up the stairs and into the control deck. Victor's eyelids suddenly got heavy. He retired back to his living quarters and collapsed on his rack, falling asleep almost instantly.


End file.
